Making Polite Excuses with "Nu că..."
When you need to delicately decline an invitation or make an excuse, it helps to first reject a negative assumption. In English, this is like saying "Not that I'm looking for an excuse, but...".
In Romanian, introduce this rejected reason with nu că (not that). To sound polite and hypothetical, the verb following nu că is typically in the Conditional mood (or sometimes the Subjunctive).
| Not that I would refuse the invitation, but I have another commitment. | Nu că aș refuza invitația, dar am un alt angajament. |
| Not that I want to offend you, but no idea is good. | Nu că aș vrea să te ofensez, dar nicio idee nu e bună. |
Introducing the Real Reason
After ruling out the negative assumption, you must provide your actual reason. This second half of the sentence is introduced by an adversative conjunction such as dar (but), însă (however), or ci (but rather).
| Not that I'm looking for an excuse, but I am held up at home because my head hurts. | Nu că aș căuta un pretext, dar sunt reținut acasă pentru că mă doare capul. |
| Not that I have any hesitation, however I am held up because of a female client. | Nu că aș avea vreo ezitare, însă sunt reținut din cauza unei cliente. |
When the real reason serves as a direct contrast or a simple clarification to the rejected thought, you will often use ci or ci doar (but just).
| Not that her behavior would offend me, but it just seems unfriendly to me. | Nu că m-ar ofensa comportamentul ei, ci doar mi se pare neprietenos. |
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