Pattern
In hypothetical "if" clauses, Romanian uses dacă + conditional in both clauses: Dacă aș avea timp, aș merge (If I had time, I would go).
Explanation
For hypothetical (counterfactual or present unreal) conditionals, both the if-clause and the main clause take the conditional. Dacă aș avea bani, aș cumpăra o casă (If I had money, I would buy a house). This contrasts with real conditionals, which use indicative in both: Dacă am timp, merg (If I have time, I go).
So Romanian uses:
- Real conditional (likely/factual): dacă + indicative present, indicative present/future. Dacă plouă, stau acasă (If it rains, I'll stay home).
- Hypothetical conditional (unreal/counterfactual): dacă + conditional, conditional. Dacă aș putea, aș zbura (If I could, I would fly).
- Past counterfactual: dacă + conditional perfect, conditional perfect. Dacă aș fi știut, aș fi venit (If I had known, I would have come).
The clause order is flexible: you can put the if clause first or second. Aș merge la mare dacă aș avea timp and Dacă aș avea timp, aș merge la mare mean the same thing.
Examples
| Romanian | English |
|---|---|
| Dacă aș avea timp, aș merge la mare. | If I had time, I would go to the sea. |
| Dacă ai vrea, ai putea să rezolvi problema. | If you wanted, you could solve the problem. |
| Aș cumpăra o casă dacă aș câștiga la loto. | I would buy a house if I won the lottery. |
| Dacă ar ști, ar fi trist. | If he knew, he would be sad. |
| Dacă am avea o mașină, am călători mai mult. | If we had a car, we would travel more. |
Common mistakes
- Mixing indicative and conditional: Dacă aș avea timp, merg is wrong; both clauses need conditional.
- Using subjunctive in dacă clause: Dacă să am timp is wrong; use dacă aș avea.
- Using English "would" word order: Romanian conditionals use aș + infinitive, not a separate auxiliary.