The Present Conditional
To express imaginary or hypothetical situations in the present (things you would do), you use the present conditional.
As a reminder, the present conditional is formed by combining the conditional auxiliary verb with the infinitive of the main verb (dropping the word a before it).
| Pronoun | Auxiliary | Example (a fi - to be) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | aș | aș fi (I would be) |
| tu | ai | ai fi (you would be) |
| el/ea | ar | ar fi (he/she would be) |
| noi | am | am fi (we would be) |
| voi | ați | ați fi (you all would be) |
| ei/ele | ar | ar fi (they would be) |
| he/she/they would (conditional) | ar |
Present Unreal Conditionals ("If" sentences)
When we talk about hypothetical scenarios, we use "if" (dacă).
In English, we mix tenses for these present unreal situations: we use the past tense for the condition and the conditional for the result ("If I were rich, I would buy a villa").
In Romanian, the rule is much simpler: you use the present conditional in both halves of the sentence.
| If he were rich, he would buy that luxurious villa. | Dacă ar fi bogat, ar cumpăra acea vilă luxoasă. |
| If the living room were spacious, I would build a fireplace. | Dacă sufrageria ar fi spațioasă, aș construi un șemineu. |
| If you renovated the house, you would choose luxurious furniture. | Dacă ai renova casa, ai alege o mobilă luxoasă. |
Clause Order
Just like in English, the dacă clause can come at the beginning or the end of the sentence. The grammar remains exactly the same.
| We would change the furniture if we had a fireplace. | Am schimba mobila dacă am avea un șemineu. |
| If he were a real estate agent, he would renovate that isolated apartment. | Dacă ar fi agent imobiliar, ar renova acel apartament izolat. |
| If the real estate market grew, I would sell the furniture. | Dacă piața imobiliară ar crește, aș vinde mobila. |
