The Negative Subjunctive (să nu)
In Romanian, the subjunctive mood connects verbs (like "I want to go") and expresses suggestions or necessity. To make the subjunctive negative, simply place the word nu between să and the verb.
Structure: să + nu + verb
| I recommend that you do not consume sugar in the evening. | Îți recomand să nu consumi zahăr seara. |
| Please do not interrupt the treatment. | Te rog să nu întrerupi tratamentul. |
Direct Negative Commands
You do not always need an introductory verb (like "I recommend" or "please"). Starting a sentence with să nu is a very common, everyday way to give a direct negative command or warning, similar to saying "Don't do that!" in English.
| Do not interrupt the treatment we spoke about yesterday. | Să nu întrerupi tratamentul despre care am vorbit ieri. |
Giving Medical Advice and Stating Necessity
You will frequently use the negative subjunctive after verbs of reporting (like a spune - to say) or necessity (like trebuie - must/have to). This is especially useful for discussing medical treatments and lifestyle advice.
| The doctor says not to postpone the check-up. | Medicul spune să nu amâni controlul. |
| You must not take the pill without water. | Trebuie să nu iei pastila fără apă. |
Expressing Purpose: ca să nu
When you want to say "so that [someone] does not" or "in order not to," use the phrase ca să nu.
| She stays home so that she does not catch a cold. | Ea rămâne acasă ca să nu răcească. |
Advice in Context
You can easily combine these negative subjunctive commands with dacă (if) or când (when) to give specific conditional advice.
| If you start to cough, do not go to the office. | Dacă începi să tușești, să nu mergi la birou. |
| Do not drink coffee if the blood pressure rises. | Să nu bei cafea dacă tensiunea crește. |
| For your health, do not consume much alcohol. | Pentru sănătatea ta, să nu consumi mult alcool. |
