Placing events in a story
These adverbs place an event against another point in the story.
| expression | meaning | register |
|---|---|---|
| anterior | previously, earlier | formal |
| între timp | meanwhile | neutral |
| de atunci | since then | neutral |
| până atunci | until then, by then | neutral |
Anterior is the formal partner of ulterior. You hear it in reports, letters and at the doctor's, where everyday speech says înainte. De atunci looks from a past moment up to today. Where English says has been, Romanian keeps the present tense: de atunci e fericit.
| As I mentioned earlier, the meeting starts at ten. | Așa cum am menționat anterior, ședința începe la zece. |
| I'll cook, and in the meantime you set the table. | Eu gătesc, iar tu, între timp, pui masa. |
| He moved to the countryside and has been happy ever since. | S-a mutat la țară și de atunci e fericit. |
The old days
Altădată means formerly, in the old days. Written as two words, altă dată means another time: Vorbim altă dată (Let's talk another time). Pe vremea (in the days of) takes the genitive or a possessive: pe vremea bunicilor, pe vremea mea (in my day). Before a clause it adds când. Here vremea means time, not weather.
| The town isn't what it used to be. | Orașul nu mai e ce era altădată. |
| In our grandparents' day, there was no internet. | Pe vremea bunicilor nu exista internet. |
| Back when I was a student, I lived with two friends. | Pe vremea când eram student, locuiam cu doi prieteni. |
The odată family
You already know odată (once) and dintr-odată (suddenly). Four more words are built from the same pieces.
| word | meaning | what to notice |
|---|---|---|
| deodată | suddenly; all at once | also at the same moment |
| odată cu | along with | a plain noun follows, no genitive |
| totodată | also, at the same time | joins two facts; bookish |
| îndată | right away | the îndată of de îndată ce |
| Don't all talk at once! | Nu vorbiți toți deodată! |
| With age, he became calmer. | Odată cu vârsta, a devenit mai calm. |
| He's a doctor and, at the same time, a writer. | Este medic și, totodată, scriitor. |
| — Where are you? — I'll be right there! | — Unde ești? — Vin îndată! |
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