to must / have to; be necessary
Most common use; usually impersonal.
Trebuie să plec acum.
I have to leave now.
Trebuie să învățăm pentru examen.
We need to study for the exam.
Trebuie să fie aici la ora opt.
He/She must be here at eight.
#30 · Verb · VERB
In Romanian, trebui means “to must / have to; be necessary”. It’s the #30 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
A verb used mainly with an infinitive or subjunctive to express necessity, obligation, or what is needed. In Romanian it is mostly impersonal: the usual meanings are expressed with forms like "trebuie" and "a trebuit".
neutralMost common use; usually impersonal.
I have to leave now.
We need to study for the exam.
He/She must be here at eight.
Used for necessity or what is needed in a situation.
A lot of courage was needed.
You need a little time.
We need more information.
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 2 forms cover about 88% of everyday use — learn these first.
| Tense | eu | tu | el/ea | noi | voi | ei/ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | trebuie | trebuiești | trebuie | trebuim | trebuiți | trebuie |
| Imperfect | trebuia | trebuiai | trebuia | trebuia | trebuiați | trebuiau |
| Perfect compus | am trebuit | ai trebuit | a trebuit | am trebuit | ați trebuit | au trebuit |
| Future | voi trebui | vei trebui | va trebui | vom trebui | veți trebui | vor trebui |
| Conditional | aș trebui | ai trebui | ar trebui | am trebui | ați trebui | ar trebui |
| Subjunctive | să trebui | să trebui | să trebui | să trebuim | să trebuiți | să trebuiască |
Trebuie să plec acum.
I have to leave now.
trebuie - Expresses necessity.
Mi-a trebuit mult timp să înțeleg.
It took me a long time to understand.
a trebuit - Past necessity / required time.
Îți va trebui răbdare.
You will need patience.
va trebui - Future necessity.
Common phrases built around trebui — worth learning as whole units.
lit. “it-must that”
lit. “it-would-need that”