Breakdown of Trebuie neapărat să plec acum.
acum
now
să
to (subjunctive marker)
pleca
to leave
trebui
to have to / to be needed (with a dative: to need)
neapărat
absolutely
Questions & Answers about Trebuie neapărat să plec acum.
Why doesn't trebuie change to match the "I" in "I must"?
In Romanian, trebuie is an impersonal verb. That means its form never changes to match the person who has to do something. You will always use trebuie whether you are talking about I, you, she, or they.
If trebuie doesn't change, how do we know who has to leave?
The second verb tells us who is doing the action! After trebuie, we use the connecting word să plus a conjugated verb. Here, plec is the "I" form of the verb a pleca (to leave). If it were "you must leave", it would be trebuie să pleci.
Why do we use să here instead of just saying trebuie plec?
In English, we use "must" followed directly by another verb. In Romanian, trebuie requires the subjunctive mood, which means using the little word să followed by a conjugated verb. You can think of trebuie să plec literally as "It is necessary that I leave".
Can I put neapărat somewhere else, like at the end of the sentence?
Learn Trebuie neapărat să plec acum and more in Romanian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free