B2 · Upper Intermediate Chapter 43

Advanced Subjunctive

4 Total Rules
26 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of expressing your inner world, subjectivity, and hesitation in fluent Romanian.

  • Construct complex sentences using the subjunctive mood.
  • Express personal emotions and subjective reactions effectively.
  • Convey doubt and uncertainty with grammatical precision.
Speak with nuance, emotion, and sophisticated subjectivity.

What You'll Learn

Subjunctive in complex sentences. Expressing emotions and subjective judgments.

  • Subjunctive in Complex Sentences
    The Romanian subjunctive uses the particle să to express wishes, necessities, and possibilities in complex sentences.
  • Subjunctive of Emotion
    Use the să particle to link emotions to actions, especially when expressing fears, regrets, or impersonal judgments.
  • Subjunctive Usage Review
    Use the să particle to express anything that is not a fact, like wishes, needs, or possibilities.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: confidently use 'să' clauses to express feelings and doubts.

Key Examples (6)

1

Vreau să mănânc o înghețată de ciocolată.

I want to eat a chocolate ice cream.

Subjunctive in Complex Sentences
2

Trebuie să plecăm imediat la aeroport.

We must leave for the airport immediately.

Subjunctive in Complex Sentences
3

E bine să mănânci fructe în fiecare zi.

It is good to eat fruit every day.

Subjunctive of Emotion
4

Mă bucur să te revăd după atâta timp.

I am glad to see you again after so much time.

Subjunctive of Emotion
5

Vreau să merg la mare.

I want to go to the seaside.

Subjunctive Usage Review
6

Trebuie să mănânci ceva.

You must eat something.

Subjunctive Usage Review

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The 3rd Person Trick

If you are stuck on the 3rd person, remember: it's usually just a vowel flip. '-a' becomes '-e', and '-e' becomes '-ă'. It's like the verb is dressing up for a party!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive in Complex Sentences
🎯

The 3rd Person Shortcut

If the indicative ends in -ă (cântă), the subjunctive ends in -e (cânte). If the indicative ends in -e (merge), the subjunctive ends in -ă (meargă). They just swap seats!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Emotion
🎯

The 3rd Person Trick

If the indicative ends in -ă, the subjunctive usually ends in -e. If the indicative ends in -e, the subjunctive ends in -ă. It's a mirror!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Doubt
💡

The 3rd Person Secret

If you are stuck, remember that the 3rd person singular and plural are always the same in the subjunctive. It saves half the work!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive Usage Review

Key Vocabulary (5)

a se bucura to be happy a regreta to regret a se îndoi to doubt posibil possible necesar necessary

Real-World Preview

calendar

Discussing Future Plans

Review Summary

  • Verb + că + să + verb
  • Mă bucur/Regret + să + verb
  • Mă îndoiesc că + să + verb

Common Mistakes

After emotional verbs, the subjunctive 'să' is required to show the subjective nature of the feeling.

Wrong: Mă bucur că tu vii.
Correct: Mă bucur să vii.

Doubt triggers the subjunctive mood in Romanian to highlight uncertainty.

Wrong: Mă îndoiesc că el știe.
Correct: Mă îndoiesc că să știe.

Use 'să' instead of 'că' for impersonal necessity phrases.

Wrong: E necesar că mergem.
Correct: E necesar să mergem.

Next Steps

You have conquered the subjunctive! Keep practicing, and these forms will become second nature.

Journaling about your day using emotional verbs

Continue to: Complex Verb Tenses

Quick Practice (10)

Complete the sentence with the correct particle and verb form.

Este important ___ (noi / a fi) punctuali la interviu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: să fim
Expressions of importance like 'este important' trigger the subjunctive mood.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive in Complex Sentences

Correct the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Mă îndoiesc că el să lucrează azi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lucreze
The 3rd person subjunctive of 'a lucra' is 'să lucreze', not 'lucrează'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Doubt

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'a fi'.

Mă îndoiesc să ___ adevărat.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: fie
The particle 'să' is already implied or needed, and 'fie' is the subjunctive of 'a fi'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Doubt

Differentiate between fact (că) and emotion/possibility (să).

E păcat ___ nu ai văzut filmul.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: că
Since the action (not seeing the film) is a completed fact, 'că' is used with the indicative.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Emotion

Identify the correct negative subjunctive form.

Te rog ___ (a nu uita) să cumperi pâine.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: să nu uiți
To make the subjunctive negative, place 'nu' between 'să' and the verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive in Complex Sentences

Identify the correct form of the verb 'to be'.

Este important ___ (a fi) punctuali.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: să fim
For 'we' (noi), the subjunctive form of 'a fi' is 'să fim'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive Usage Review

Choose the correct subjunctive form for the 3rd person singular.

Nu cred să ___ (a merge) la petrecere.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: meargă
For 'a merge', the 3rd person subjunctive changes the 'e' to 'ă'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Doubt

Choose the correct subjunctive form for the verb 'a veni' (to come).

E important ca el ___ la timp.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: să vină
In the subjunctive, the 3rd person singular of 'a veni' changes to 'să vină'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive of Emotion

Choose the correct subjunctive form for the 3rd person.

Ea vrea ca el ___ (a veni) la petrecere.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: să vină
The 3rd person of 'a veni' changes from 'vine' (indicative) to 'să vină' (subjunctive).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive Usage Review

Select the correct negative subjunctive form.

Te rog ___ (a nu uita) cheile.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: să nu uiți
In negative subjunctive, 'nu' is placed between the particle 'să' and the verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Subjunctive Usage Review

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

It is a verb mood used for actions that aren't necessarily facts, like wishes, doubts, or obligations. It is almost always identified by the particle să.
Yes, it's incredibly common! It replaces the infinitive in most cases where English uses to + verb, like Vreau să dorm (I want to sleep).
It is the use of the să + verb construction after verbs or phrases that express a feeling. For example, E păcat să pleci (It is a pity that you are leaving).
Romanian almost always prefers the subjunctive over the infinitive. Saying Mă bucur a te vedea sounds like you stepped out of a 19th-century poem; use Mă bucur să te văd instead.
Yes, in formal Romanian you can say Mă îndoiesc că el să vină. It sounds very academic.
No, it's very common in speech. But Nu cred să vină is more elegant and precise for B2+ levels.
Next Chapter
Complex Verb Tenses
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