Breakdown of Ce să fac acum?
acum
now
ce
what / how (exclamatory, + adjective)
face
to do, to make
să
to (subjunctive marker)
Questions & Answers about Ce să fac acum?
Why is there no word for "should" here? Shouldn't it be "Ce ar trebui să fac?"
You can absolutely say Ce ar trebui să fac acum? for "What should I do now?". However, in Romanian, simply using the subjunctive (să fac) in a question inherently implies "should" or "supposed to". Ce să fac? is a direct, colloquial, and very natural way to ask "What am I to do?" without needing a modal verb.
Does "Ce să fac?" carry a different tone than "Ce ar trebui să fac?"
Yes, it often does. While it can be a simple request for instructions, Ce să fac? frequently carries a tone of helplessness, exasperation, or feeling overwhelmed, much like "What am I supposed to do now?" in English. If you just want objective advice, Ce ar trebui să fac? is more emotionally neutral.
In English we sometimes ask "What to do?". Can I use the infinitive here, like "Ce a face?"
No, Romanian almost never uses the infinitive for deliberative questions like this. When you are wondering about an action or asking for guidance, you must use the subjunctive (să + verb) and conjugate it for the person who will be doing the action.
How would the nuance change if I added the pronoun "eu" (Ce să fac eu acum?)?