Question 1

Why do we use poate că here instead of just poate?

Accepted Answer

Both mean "maybe" or "perhaps." Adding că (that) creates the set phrase poate că, which explicitly introduces a new clause. In everyday spoken Romanian, you can often drop the că and just say Poate o să demisionez mâine, but poate că is very common and provides a clear structure when expressing doubt.

Question 2

The lesson says poate că is followed by the indicative mood. But isn't să demisionez in the subjunctive mood?

Accepted Answer

Great catch! You are right that să demisionez by itself is the subjunctive form. However, the entire block o să demisionez makes up the informal future tense ("I will resign"). Even though it's built using the subjunctive particle să, the future tense as a whole functions as an indicative statement of fact about the future. That's why it perfectly fits the rule for poate că.

Question 3

In the phrase o să demisionez, shouldn't the o change to match the subject "I"?

Accepted Answer

No, and that's the easiest part of this future tense! In the popular future tense (o să + verb), the word o is completely invariable. Whether you say "I will" (eu o să), "we will" (noi o să), or "they will" (ei o să), the o never changes. Only the verb at the end changes to match the person doing the action (in this case, demisionez for "I").

Question 4

Could I use the formal future tense in this sentence instead?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You could replace the informal o să demisionez with the formal future voi demisiona, making the sentence Poate că voi demisiona mâine. Both mean exactly the same thing, but the o să version used in this example is much more common in everyday, conversational Romanian.

Poate că o să demisionez mâine.

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