Question 1

Why do we use să plecăm instead of the dictionary infinitive form for "to leave"?

Accepted Answer

In English we say "we have to leave", but Romanian works differently. After verbs like trebuie (must/have to) or vreau (want), you do not use the infinitive. Instead, you use the connecting word să followed by a conjugated verb. You can think of it as saying "It is necessary that we leave."

Question 2

If trebuie means "must" or "have to", how do we know this sentence specifically means "we" have to?

Accepted Answer

The verb trebuie is special because it is impersonal, meaning its form doesn't change depending on who is doing the action. The secret is in the second verb! Because we use plecăm (the "we" form of the verb to leave), the whole sentence becomes about what "we" must do.

Question 3

Does the verb plecăm change its ending because it comes after să?

Accepted Answer

Not for "we"! For the first person ("I", "we") and second person ("you"), the verb form used after să is exactly the same as the regular present tense. Since noi plecăm means "we leave", we just add să to get să plecăm.

Question 4

What is the rule for using the letter â in mâine instead of î?

Accepted Answer

Both of these letters make the exact same sound in Romanian. The general spelling rule is to use î at the very beginning or end of a word, and â when the sound is in the middle of a word, just like you see here in mâine.

Trebuie să plecăm mâine.

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