Understanding Romanian Conjunctions: Coordinating and Subordinating for English Speakers

What Are Conjunctions in Romanian?

Conjunctions are words that connect clauses, sentences, or words in Romanian, just like in English. They help to link ideas and make sentences more complex and meaningful.

Coordinating Conjunctions in Romanian

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or independent clauses that are of equal importance. They are essential for combining ideas smoothly.

• şi (and)
• sau (or)
• dar (but)
• iar (and/but)
• ci (but rather)

Examples of Coordinating Conjunctions

- Vreau să merg la piaţă şi să cumpăr fructe. (I want to go to the market and buy fruits.)
- Poţi alege ce vrei, sau poţi să nu alegi nimic. (You can choose what you want, or you can choose nothing.)

Subordinating Conjunctions in Romanian

Subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses and show the relationship between the dependent clause and the main clause.

• pentru că (because)
• deoarece (because)
• dacă (if)
• când (when)
• deşi (although)
• înainte să (before)
• după ce (after)

Examples of Subordinating Conjunctions

- Nu am venit pentru că eram bolnav. (I didn't come because I was sick.)
- Te sun când ajung acasă. (I will call you when I get home.)

Tips for Using Romanian Conjunctions

- Pay attention to the word order after subordinating conjunctions; often, the verb moves to the end of the clause.
- Some conjunctions like iar can mean both 'and' and 'but' depending on context.
- Practice by combining simple sentences using conjunctions to form complex sentences.

Summary

Romanian conjunctions are divided into coordinating and subordinating types. Coordinating conjunctions link equal parts of a sentence, while subordinating conjunctions introduce dependent clauses. Mastering these will help you create more complex and natural Romanian sentences.