să

Subordinative conjunction: to
Vreau să dorm puțin. ― I want to sleep a little.

Trebuie să mănânci ceva. ― You need to eat something.
Expresses desire or wish in optative or jussive constructions: let, may
Să-nceapă distracția! ― Let the fun begin!

Să îl ierte Dumnezeu. ― May God forgive him.
Forms the “future imperative”.^{[usage note 1]}
Să îmi iei ceva de la magazin. ― Get me something from the shop [when you go].
Forms the first person plural hortative: let's
Să vedem ce fac copiii. ― Let's see what the children are doing.
(informal) Forms the informal future tense together with the auxiliary o/or.^{[usage note 2]}
Copacul o să crească. ― The tree will grow.
(uncommon) if, should^{[usage note 3]}
Synonyms: dacă, de

Să and the subjunctive mood are inextricably associated. Any verb introduced by să must take the subjunctive.

^ The imperative-like subjunctive să construction is distinguished from the proper imperative in that it refers to something that the addressee is to do later, when the time comes, when is the case or after a succession of steps. Compare Să te întorci repede! (“Come back quickly [after you leave]!”) with Întoarce-te repede! (“Come back quickly [now]!”). Certain verbs, such as ști (“know”), lack a true imperative and only use the subjunctive with să.
^ The formal way to form the future tense is to use vrea as an auxiliary verb with an infinitive.
^ An exception to the rigid pairing of să with the subjunctive mood is found in the sense of “if, should”, where, until the 17th century, the indicative mood was employed. This usage is wholly obsolete.

Contents