Learn Romanian: Vreau să plec astăzi.

In English, we say "I want to leave" using the infinitive (dictionary form) of the second verb. Romanian does things differently! After verbs expressing a wish or intention (like vreau), Romanian uses the connecting word să followed by a conjugated verb. It literally translates more like "I want that I leave."

Wait, so is plec conjugated for "I" here?

Yes! Unlike the English "to leave," which stays the same no matter who wants to do it, both Romanian verbs must match the person doing the action. Vreau means "I want," and plec means "I leave." If it were "You want to leave," both verbs would change: Vrei să pleci (You want that you leave).

I've seen azi used for "today." Why is it astăzi here?

Astăzi and azi both mean "today" and are completely interchangeable. Azi is just a shorter, slightly more casual version of astăzi, but you can easily say Vreau să plec azi instead!

Why isn't the word eu (I) in this sentence?

Romanian usually drops subject pronouns like eu (I) because the verbs already tell you who is acting. Since both vreau and plec are distinctly in the "I" form, adding eu isn't necessary unless you want to emphasize it, as in "I want to leave, not him."