or (offering an alternative)
Joins two options, either of which may hold.
ceai sau cafea
tea or coffee
azi sau mâine
today or tomorrow
#71 · Coordinating conjunction
sau
In Romanian, sau means “or (offering an alternative)”. It’s the #71 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Sau is "or", rank 71 and the plainest word on this list — invariable, no agreement, no case. The only thing worth care is the spelling: sau is "or", său is "his/her". They sound different (sau is one syllable, său is not) and mean nothing like each other, so the two letters are worth separating from the first day.
neutralor (in a question offering a choice)
The alternative question. Romanian keeps the same word order in both halves.
Vii sau nu?
Are you coming or not?
E bun sau rău?
Is it good or bad?
or rather / that is
Introducing a correction or a second name for the same thing.
mâine, sau mai bine poimâine
tomorrow, or rather the day after
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.
sau100%
Grammar Behavior
A sau B
Joins two words, phrases or clauses of equal rank.
roșu sau albastru
red or blue
sau … sau …
Doubled for "either … or", which sharpens the choice.
Sau acum, sau niciodată.
Either now or never.
sau nu
A ready-made tail turning any statement into a yes/no choice.
Îți place sau nu?
Do you like it or not?
nici … nici (the negative counterpart)
Under a negation Romanian switches away from sau to nici … nici.
Nu vreau nici ceai, nici cafea.
I want neither tea nor coffee.
vs. ori
ori is the near-synonym, a little more emphatic and common in the doubled form ori … ori. sau is the neutral default.
Ori vii, ori pleci.
Either you come or you leave.
vs. său
A different word entirely: sau joins options, său is the possessive "his/her" agreeing with the thing owned.
cartea sa / cartea sau caietul
his book / the book or the notebook
vs. și
și adds both; sau picks one. Romanian has no everyday equivalent of the vague English "and/or".
pâine și lapte / pâine sau lapte
bread and milk / bread or milk
Examples
Vrei ceai sau cafea?
Do you want tea or coffee?
sau - The everyday alternative question. Both nouns stay bare — no article is added on either side.
Mergem azi sau mâine?
Are we going today or tomorrow?
sau - The present tense carries the future meaning; sau simply joins the two time words.
Vii sau nu?
Are you coming or not?
sau - sau nu is a fixed tail meaning "or not". It needs no repeated verb.
Poți plăti cu cardul sau cash.
You can pay by card or cash.
sau - One preposition covers both options — Romanian does not repeat cu after sau here.
Sau vii cu noi, sau rămâi acasă.
Either you come with us, or you stay home.
sau - Doubled sau … sau gives "either … or", forcing a choice between exactly two options.
Sau ("or") and său ("his/her") are two different words, not one word with and without a diacritic. Cartea sau caietul is "the book or the notebook"; cartea sa is "his book". Reading them aloud makes the difference obvious — sau rhymes with "now", său does not.