until (a point in time)
With la before a time, or bare before an adverb such as mâine.
până mâine
until tomorrow
până la ora cinci
until five
#107 · Preposition
până
In Romanian, până means “until (a point in time)”. It’s the #107 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Până marks a limit — in time ("until") or in space ("as far as"). Rank 107, invariable. It almost never stands alone: it takes a second word that says what kind of limit it is. până la for a point, până când for a clause, până acum for "so far". Learning the pairs is learning the word.
neutralas far as / up to (a place)
The spatial limit, again with la.
până la gară
as far as the station
Merg până acolo.
I'm going as far as there.
until (joining a clause, până când / până ce)
Before a verb, până needs când or ce. Romanian keeps the indicative here.
până când vii
until you come
Aștept până termini.
I'll wait until you finish.
so far / up to now (până acum)
A fixed adverbial that reports the state of play.
Până acum, bine.
So far, so good.
even (până și)
Paired with și it means "even", overlapping with chiar și.
Până și el a râs.
Even he laughed.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
până100%
Grammar Behavior
până la + noun
The default for a point in time or space.
până la sfârșit
until the end
până + adverb
No la before mâine, acum, acolo, seara.
până acolo
as far as there
până când / până ce + verb
Joins a clause; the indicative follows.
până când se termină
until it finishes
de la … până la …
A range with both ends stated.
de la luni până la vineri
from Monday to Friday
până și
Means "even", overlapping with chiar și.
până și copiii
even the children
vs. de la
de la is the start of a stretch, până la the end. They are normally used as a pair.
de la unu până la trei
from one to three
vs. în
până la is a deadline; în is a duration. în două ore means "within two hours", până în două ore is not how Romanians phrase it.
Termin în două ore. / Termin până la două.
I'll finish in two hours. / I'll finish by two.
vs. după
The opposite limit: după is after the point, până is up to it.
până la prânz / după prânz
until noon / after noon
Examples
Stau aici până mâine.
I'm staying here until tomorrow.
până - Before an adverb of time no la is needed. Compare până la ora zece, where the noun requires it.
Mergem până la magazin.
We're going as far as the shop.
până la - The spatial limit. până la is one unit; dropping la leaves the sentence unfinished.
Aștept până termini.
I'll wait until you finish.
până - Before a verb the pair până ce or până când is standard, though speech often drops the second word as here.
Până acum nu a sunat nimeni.
So far nobody has called.
până acum - A fixed adverbial. Note the double negative nu … nimeni, which is obligatory.
De la doi până la cinci.
From two until five.
până la - de la … până la is the standard frame for a range, in time and in space alike.
Până needs a partner. Before a noun or a clock time it is până la; before a verb it is până când or până ce. Bare până works only in front of an adverb such as mâine, acum or acolo. Saying *până ora cinci sounds unfinished to a Romanian ear.