if
introduces a condition or hypothesis
Dacă ai timp, vino pe la noi.
If you have time, come by our place.
Dacă plouă, rămânem acasă.
If it rains, we stay home.
#38 · Subordinating conjunction · SCONJ
In Romanian, dacă means “if”. It’s the #38 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Subordinating conjunction used mainly for conditional clauses and yes/no indirect questions; also common in expressions of uncertainty or time reference.
neutralintroduces a condition or hypothesis
If you have time, come by our place.
If it rains, we stay home.
introduces an indirect question, often after verbs of asking, knowing, seeing, etc.
I don't know whether he's coming today.
Please tell me if you received the message.
can mark a condition with a strong requirement or limitation; context decides the exact English rendering
We're going to the mountains, if the weather doesn't change.
You can leave, provided you've finished the work.
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
Introduces a subordinate clause before or after the main clause.
The dacă-clause can come first or second; when it comes first, a comma is usually used.
Dacă termini repede, mergem la film.
If you finish early, we'll go to the movies.
Used after verbs of uncertainty, asking, checking, or knowing.
In these contexts, English often uses 'whether' or 'if'.
Am verificat dacă ușa era încuiată.
I checked whether the door was locked.
Can appear with negation in the main clause to express a condition or warning.
The meaning depends on the whole sentence, not on dacă alone.
Nu pleca dacă nu ești sigur.
Don't leave if you're not sure.
vs. ori / dacă... ori
ori is used for alternatives; dacă marks a condition or indirect question.
Ori pleci acum, ori rămâi până mâine. / Dacă pleci acum, ajungi mai devreme.
Either you leave now or you stay until tomorrow. / If you leave now, you'll arrive earlier.
vs. în caz că
în caz că is closer to 'in case'; dacă is the general, much more common conjunction.
Ia-ți o umbrelă, în caz că plouă. / Ia-ți o umbrelă dacă plouă.
Take an umbrella in case it rains. / Take an umbrella if it rains.
Dacă vrei, te ajut eu.
If you want, I'll help you.
Dacă vrei, te ajut eu. - Simple conditional clause.
Nu știu dacă a înțeles gluma.
I don't know whether he understood the joke.
Nu știu dacă a înțeles gluma. - Indirect yes/no question.
Dacă ai ajuns deja, sună-mă.
If you've already arrived, call me.
Dacă ai ajuns deja, sună-mă. - Condition with present perfect idea in English.