Verbs: Conditional Mood — Romanian Grammar

The conditional expresses what would happen - under some condition, or as a polite, softened statement. It matches English "I would …".

How It Is Built

A helper word + the bare infinitive (the dictionary form without ). The helper changes for the person:

(I), (you), (he/she), (we), (you pl.), (they)

aș merge
I would go
ar fi
it would be
am cumpăra
we would buy

Polite Requests

The most useful everyday role is politeness - it turns a blunt "I want" into a gentle "I would like":

Aș vrea o cafea.
I would like a coffee.
Aș putea să văd meniul?
Could I see the menu?

'If' Sentences

The conditional is what you use in the result half of an unreal "if" sentence. The "if" part (with ) typically also stands in the conditional:

Dacă aș fi bogat, aș călători mult.
If I were rich, I would travel a lot.

Don't Mix Up the Helpers

The helpers , and look like forms of (to have). What tells you it's the conditional is the bare infinitive that follows: , . The very common means "should / ought to":

Ar trebui să dormi.
You should sleep.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Romanian course

11 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 79. A few of them, with the words “Verbs: Conditional Mood” is about in bold:

Aș vrea să fii mai cumpătat.
I wish you were more frugal.
Lesson 328

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