Romanian commonly uses că for a piece of information that someone thinks, says, or knows, but să for a desired, necessary, possible, or otherwise non-asserted action. Compare Știu că pleacă mâine. (I know that he or she is leaving tomorrow.) with Vreau să plec mâine. (I want to leave tomorrow.)
What is the difference between că and să?
Use că to connect a main clause to an asserted or reported proposition, usually with a finite indicative verb. Use să to introduce the present subjunctive after a verb, adjective, or expression that presents an action as wanted, required, possible, or evaluated. The choice depends on the meaning of the whole complement, not on a mechanical English word-for-word translation.
| What the complement does | Typical pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reports information or a belief | matrix verb + că + finite clause | Cred că trenul ajunge la opt. (I think the train arrives at eight.) |
| Expresses desire, need, or possibility | matrix expression + să + subjunctive | Trebuie să plecăm acum. (We have to leave now.) |
| Makes a subject or another constituent explicit or prominent | ca + constituent + să + subjunctive | Vreau ca Ana să plece. (I want Ana to leave.) |
When do you use că?
Use că after many verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, discovering, and reporting. The clause after că supplies the content: Mihai a spus că ajunge la prânz. (Mihai said that he would arrive at noon.) Am aflat că muzeul este închis. (I found out that the museum is closed.) Este clar că avem nevoie de timp. (It is clear that we need time.)
The verb inside a că clause is not forced into one tense by the conjunction. Choose the tense that expresses the intended time relation: Ana a spus că lucrează de acasă. (Ana said that she works from home.) versus Ana a spus că va lucra de acasă. (Ana said that she would work from home.) This is part of Romanian tense selection in reported clauses; see sequence of tenses for the wider contrast.
When do you use să?
Use să as the marker of the present subjunctive in a complement clause. It commonly follows desire (Vreau să învăț. (I want to learn.)), necessity (E important să verifici datele. (It is important that you check the data.)), possibility (Este posibil să plouă. (It is possible that it will rain.)), and evaluation (Îmi place să citesc seara. (I like reading in the evening.)).
The subject can be understood from the main clause or can be a different person. With the same subject, use the simple pattern: Eu vreau să plec. (I want to leave.) With a different subject, Romanian can still use să directly: Vreau să pleci. (I want you to leave.) If the subject needs special clarity or focus, put it after ca: Vreau ca tu să pleci. (I want you to leave.)
| Subject pattern | Romanian example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Main and subordinate subjects are the same | Sper să ajung la timp. | I hope to arrive on time. |
| A different subject is understood from the verb ending | Sper să ajungi la timp. | I hope you arrive on time. |
| A different subject is stated or focused | Sper ca Maria să ajungă la timp. | I hope Maria arrives on time. |
The form after să is a subjunctive form, not an English-style infinitive. In the first and second persons it often looks like the present indicative, while the context and să identify the mood: lucrez (I work) but vreau să lucrez (I want to work); pleacă (he or she leaves) but vrea să plece (he or she wants to leave). See the Romanian present subjunctive for formation and placement of pronouns such as să-i spun (to tell him or her).
How does the meaning change when both are possible?
Some expressions can take either kind of complement, but the meaning changes. Mă bucur că ai venit. (I am glad that you came.) presents your arrival as the fact that gives me pleasure. Mă bucur să te văd. (I am glad to see you.) presents seeing you as the action I am happy to experience. Likewise, Știu că înoată. (I know that he or she swims.) reports knowledge of a fact, while Știu să înot. (I know how to swim.) says that I have the ability.
- After a reporting or knowledge verb, ask whether you are presenting information: Știu că examenul începe la nouă. (I know that the exam starts at nine.)
- After a desire, necessity, possibility, or evaluation, use the subjunctive pattern: Vreau să încep la nouă. (I want to start at nine.)
- When an explicit subject or focused element comes before the subjunctive, use ca…să: E bine ca toți participanții să citească instrucțiunile. (It is good for all participants to read the instructions.)
- Do not treat every să as a complement marker. In O să ajung la șase. (I will arrive at six.), o să is a common future construction; see the future with o să. In Am venit ca să te ajut. (I came in order to help you.), ca să marks purpose; see purpose clauses with ca să.
What varies by register?
The choice between că and să is grammatical and meaning-based, but the words around them can vary by register. Conversational Romanian commonly uses e alongside the neutral and more formal-sounding este: Cred că e târziu. (I think it is late.) and Cred că este târziu. (I think it is late.) are both standard. The o să future is a natural neutral choice and especially frequent in speech: Sper că o să ajungi la timp. (I hope you will arrive on time.) The fully standard Sper că vei ajunge la timp. can sound more deliberate or formal. These are register or construction choices, not replacements of că with să.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not use că after a desire or requirement just because English uses “that”: say Vreau să plec, not Vreau că plec.
- Do not leave out să after ca when ca…să introduces a focused subjunctive clause: say Vreau ca Ana să plece, not Vreau ca Ana plece.
- Do not confuse că with ca. The first introduces content in Știu că ai dreptate. (I know that you are right.); the second is part of patterns such as ca să and ca Ana să….
- Do not assume that că always means past or that să always means future. Tense, mood, and context do different jobs.
Which sentence means “I know that Ana is at home”?
- Știu să fie Ana acasă.
- Știu că Ana este acasă.
- Știu ca Ana să fie acasă.
- Știu Ana să fie acasă.
Că introduces the proposition that Ana is at home. Să would make the clause subjunctive, and ca…să is used for a focused subjunctive complement, not for ordinary knowledge of a fact.
Complete the neutral sentence: Vreau ___ plec acum.
- să
- că
- ca
- o să
Vreau să plec expresses the speaker’s desire to leave. Că introduces reported content, while ca needs a following constituent in a pattern such as ca tu să pleci; o să is a future construction.
Which sentence clearly says “I want Maria to leave early”?
- Vreau că Maria pleacă devreme.
- Vreau să Maria plece devreme.
- Vreau ca Maria să plece devreme.
- Vreau ca Maria pleacă devreme.
The explicit-subject pattern is ca Maria să plece. The verb after să is subjunctive; că would report information, and ca Maria pleacă incorrectly uses an indicative form after ca.
Which sentence says “I am glad that you came,” presenting your arrival as a fact?
- Mă bucur să vii.
- Mă bucur ca tu vii.
- Mă bucur să te văd.
- Mă bucur că ai venit.
Mă bucur că ai venit uses că to present the completed arrival as the fact that causes the speaker’s happiness. The să options use a subjunctive complement and do not express this same factive contrast.
Which sentence uses să inside the common future construction, rather than introducing a complement clause?
- Sper să reușesc.
- O să reușesc.
- Vreau să reușesc.
- Este important să reușesc.
In O să reușesc, o să is the conversational future construction. In the other sentences, să reușesc is the subjunctive complement selected by sper, vreau, or este important.