El a promis că nu va refuza întrebările copiilor.

not

Breakdown of El a promis că nu va refuza întrebările copiilor.

• el: he
• întrebarea: the question
• copilul: the child

Questions & Answers about El a promis că nu va refuza întrebările copiilor.

Why is it a promis and not just promis?

Because Romanian perfect tense is formed with an auxiliary plus the past participle:

• a = the 3rd person singular auxiliary of a avea in the compound past
• promis = past participle of a promite

So el a promis means he promised / he has promised.

This is the normal way Romanian expresses a completed past action in everyday language.

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What does că do in this sentence?

Că means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• El a promis = he promised
• că nu va refuza întrebările copiilor = that he would not refuse the children’s questions

Romanian uses că very often where English may use that, even when English sometimes leaves that out.

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Why is it nu va refuza? Isn’t that literally will not refuse?

Yes, literally va refuza is will refuse, and nu va refuza is will not refuse.

Romanian often keeps the future form in a clause like this because the refusal is future relative to the moment of promising. English usually shifts this to would not refuse after a past reporting verb:

• Romanian: El a promis că nu va refuza...
• Natural English: He promised that he would not refuse...

So the Romanian future is normal here.

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