Eu nu refuz invitația, dar promiți că ajungem la timp?

Yes. Romanian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

• refuz = I refuse
• so Eu refuz is usually not necessary

Here, Eu adds emphasis or contrast. It can suggest something like:

• As for me, I’m not refusing the invitation
• I’m not the one refusing

So the sentence would still be grammatical as Nu refuz invitația, dar promiți că ajungem la timp?, but Eu makes the speaker’s stance a little more explicit.

Nu is the normal Romanian word for not, and it usually goes directly before the verb.

• refuz = I refuse
• nu refuz = I do not refuse / I’m not refusing

This is the standard way to negate a verb in Romanian.

Refuz is the 1st person singular present tense of a refuza = to refuse.

So:

• eu refuz = I refuse
• tu refuzi = you refuse
• el/ea refuză = he/she refuses

In this sentence, refuz matches Eu.

Because invitația means the invitation, while invitație means an invitation or just invitation in a general sense.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun:

• invitație = invitation
• invitația = the invitation

So refuz invitația means I refuse the invitation.

Dar means but.

It connects two ideas in contrast:

• I’m not refusing the invitation
• but do you promise that we’ll arrive on time?

So the speaker is not rejecting the idea, but is adding a condition or concern.

In Romanian, dar often introduces a contrasting coordinated clause, and it is normally preceded by a comma.

So:

• Eu nu refuz invitația, dar...

This is very similar to English punctuation before but in many sentences.

Promiți is the 2nd person singular present tense of a promite = to promise.

So it means:

• you promise
• or in question form, do you promise?

The subject tu is not written, but it is understood from the ending -i.

It is informal singular, used with tu.

So the speaker is talking to one person in a familiar way.

If you wanted the formal or plural form, you would use promiteți:

• Promiteți că ajungem la timp? = Do you promise that we’ll arrive on time?

That could be either you all promise or formal you.

Romanian often forms yes/no questions without inversion. In other words, the word order can stay the same as in a statement, and the question is shown by:

• intonation in speech
• the question mark in writing

So:

• Promiți că ajungem la timp. = You promise that we’ll arrive on time.
• Promiți că ajungem la timp? = Do you promise that we’ll arrive on time?

English uses do-support, but Romanian does not need that here.

Că means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• promiți = you promise
• că ajungem la timp = that we arrive / that we’ll arrive on time

Romanian uses că very often where English may use that.

Because ajungem means we arrive / we get there, and the speaker is talking about both people together.

So the logic is:

• you promise
• that we arrive on time

That shift is completely normal:

• promiți = you promise
• ajungem = we arrive

The subject of the second verb is different from the subject of the first verb.

Romanian often uses the present tense for a future event when the context makes the future meaning clear, especially in everyday speech.

So ajungem la timp can mean:

• we arrive on time
• we’ll arrive on time

A more explicitly future version would be:

• promiți că vom ajunge la timp?
• promiți că o să ajungem la timp?

But the present tense here is natural and understandable.

A ajunge literally means to arrive or to reach/get to.

Here, ajungem la timp means:

• we arrive on time
• we get there on time

So it refers to reaching the destination at the correct time.

La timp means on time.

It is a fixed expression:

• a ajunge la timp = to arrive on time
• a veni la timp = to come on time

It does not mean in time in every context, so learners should remember it as a set phrase.

Yes. Romanian often omits subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb forms.

A very natural version would be:

• Nu refuz invitația, dar promiți că ajungem la timp?

That still clearly means:

• I’m not refusing the invitation, but do you promise that we’ll arrive on time?

The version with Eu simply adds a bit more emphasis.