Learn how to use conditionals to make a polite request
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Dana: Hi everyone, and welcome back to RomanianPod101.com. This is Beginner Season 1 Lesson 5 - Ordering a Delicious Romanian Meal. Dana Here. |
| Mihai: Bună. I'm Mihai. |
| Dana: In this lesson, you’ll learn about conditionals as a polite request. The conversation takes place at a restaurant. |
| Mihai: It's between Masanobu and a waiter. |
| Dana: The speakers are strangers in a customer service setting; therefore, they will speak formal Romanian. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Masanobu: Bună ziua, aș dori o masă pentru prânz, vă rog. |
| Chelner: Desigur, poftiți pe aici. |
| Masanobu: Aș dori să mănânc ceva de prânz. |
| Chelner: Foarte bine. Doriți un aperitiv? |
| Masanobu: Da, aș vrea o salată. |
| Chelner: Ce altceva v-ar plăcea? |
| Masanobu: Aș vrea niște supă. Aveți vreo recomandare? |
| Chelner: Sigur, specialitatea de astăzi este supa de pui cu legume. |
| Masanobu: Doresc supă și un pahar de vin. |
| Chelner: Am înțeles. Vă mulțumesc, domnule! |
| Dana: Listen to the conversation one more time, slowly. |
| Masanobu: Bună ziua, aș dori o masă pentru prânz, vă rog. |
| Chelner: Desigur, poftiți pe aici. |
| Masanobu: Aș dori să mănânc ceva de prânz. |
| Chelner: Foarte bine. Doriți un aperitiv? |
| Masanobu: Da, aș vrea o salată. |
| Chelner: Ce altceva v-ar plăcea? |
| Masanobu: Aș vrea niște supă. Aveți vreo recomandare? |
| Chelner: Sigur, specialitatea de astăzi este supa de pui cu legume. |
| Masanobu: Doresc supă și un pahar de vin. |
| Chelner: Am înțeles. Vă mulțumesc, domnule! |
| Dana: Listen to the conversation with the English translation |
| Masanobu: Hello, I'd like a table for lunch, please. |
| Waiter: Certainly, right this way. |
| Masanobu: I’d like to have something good to eat for lunch. |
| Waiter: Great. Would you like a starter? |
| Masanobu: Yes, I'd like a salad. |
| Waiter: What else would you like? |
| Masanobu: I'd like some soup. Do you have any recommendations? |
| Waiter: Sure, today's special is chicken soup with vegetables. |
| Masanobu: I'll have that and a glass of wine. |
| Waiter: Understood, thank you sir! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Dana: Masanobu ordered a glass of wine with his meal. What can you tell us about Romanian wine? |
| Mihai: Wine was introduced to Romania about 3000 years ago by the Greeks. |
| Dana: I think that Romanian wine is pretty famous. |
| Mihai: Yeah. Romania is one of the world’s largest wine producers. |
| Dana: I heard that wineries and vineyards in Romania are pretty affordable. |
| Mihai: That’s right. It’s why Romania has become the 5th largest producer of wine in Europe. |
| Dana: Where can you buy Romanian wine? |
| Mihai: Germany, France, and the US are the traditional markets, but people are trying to branch out into China too. |
| Dana: China is a great consumer of wine. |
| Mihai: That’s right. Romanian wine has won many awards for its quality, too. |
| Dana: What wines do you recommend? |
| Mihai: I like Fetească Albă and Fetească Neargă. |
| Dana: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Dana: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Mihai: prânz [natural native speed] |
| Dana: lunch |
| Mihai: prânz[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: prânz [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Mihai: a pofti [natural native speed] |
| Dana: to receive |
| Mihai: a pofti[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: a pofti [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Mihai: aperitiv [natural native speed] |
| Dana: appetizer |
| Mihai: aperitiv[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: aperitiv [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Mihai: salată [natural native speed] |
| Dana: salad |
| Mihai: salată[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: salată [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Mihai: altceva [natural native speed] |
| Dana: something else |
| Mihai: altceva[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: altceva [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Mihai: supă [natural native speed] |
| Dana: soup |
| Mihai: supă[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: supă [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Mihai: recomandare [natural native speed] |
| Dana: recommendation |
| Mihai: recomandare[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: recomandare [natural native speed] |
| Dana: And last... |
| Mihai: specialitate [natural native speed] |
| Dana: specialty |
| Mihai: specialitate[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mihai: specialitate [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Dana: Let's have a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Mihai: Poftiți |
| Dana: Meaning "Please, go ahead." |
| Dana: This is the formal, plural, imperative form of a verb. |
| Mihai: Yes, the root verb is a pofti. This can mean several things. |
| Dana: It can mean “to ask, to bid, to call in, to invite, to request, to want” and more. |
| Mihai: Poftiți is used in polite and formal commands such as “Step this way” or “That way.” |
| Dana: When offering items, it can mean “Here you are” or “There you are.” |
| Mihai: It’s a formal expression. |
| Dana: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Mihai: Sure. For example, you can say.. Poftiți salata cerută! |
| Dana: ..which means "Here is your salad!" |
| Dana: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Mihai: Aveți vreo recomandare? |
| Dana: Meaning "Do you have any recommendations?" |
| Mihai: Aveți is the interrogative formal/ plural form of the verb a avea. |
| Dana: Which means “to have.” |
| Mihai: Vreo is an indefinite pronoun that means “any, or some.” The final word is recomandare. |
| Dana: This means “recommendation.” Literally, this phrase means “Do you have any recommendations?” |
| Mihai: This is usually used in customer service situations. |
| Dana: Yes, you can use it to ask a shop clerk what they recommend. |
| Mihai: This is formal speech. |
| Dana: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Mihai: Sure. For example, you can say.. Aveți vreo recomandare de paste bune? |
| Dana: .. which means "Do you have any good pasta dish recommendations?" |
| Dana: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Dana: In this lesson, you'll learn about conditionals as a polite request. |
| Dana: We can use conditionals to talk about a desirable action, possibility, or proposition valid under certain circumstances. In English, they’re the sentences that use words such as “if.” |
| Mihai: In Romanian, we also call them Optative conditionals, and they’re formed using the auxiliary verb a avea. |
| Dana: This means “to have.” It is then followed by the infinitive form of the verb. Let’s hear some examples of this auxiliary verb paired with the infinitive verb. |
| Mihai: eu aș fi mâncat |
| Dana: “I would have eaten.” |
| Mihai: tu ai fi mâncat |
| Dana: “You would have eaten.” |
| Mihai: ea ar fi mâncat |
| Dana: “She would have eaten.” Now, how would we make a complete sentence? |
| Mihai: This depends on the condition. If it is an achievable goal that is based on a condition, the subordinate clause contains the condition. |
| Dana: If it is a wish, a hope, or a possible virtual fact, it is usually included in the independent or main clauses. Let’s hear an achievable, conditioned action. |
| Mihai: Dacă m-ai invita, aș veni. |
| Dana:”If you invite me, I will come.” Now, a wish or a hope. |
| Mihai: Aș dori un pahar cu apă, vă rog. |
| Dana: “I would like a glass of water, please.” And finally, a possible, virtual fact. |
| Mihai: Cine ar fi crezut că vom merge pe Lună? |
| Dana: “Who would have thought we would go to the Moon?” We also use optative conditionals when making polite requests or letting someone know about your desires. |
| Mihai: The most frequently used verbs are a vrea, meaning “to want,” a dori, meaning “to wish,” and a (îi) plăcea, meaning “to like (someone).” |
| Dana: They’re the equivalent of saying “I would like…” in English. |
| Mihai: We can say, eu aș fi vrut/ dorit |
| Dana: “I would have liked.” |
| Mihai: tu ai fi vrut/ dorit |
| Dana: “You would have liked.” |
| Mihai: el/ ea ar fi vrut/ dorit |
| Dana: “He or she would have liked” Let’s hear an example sentence. |
| Mihai: Mi-ar fi plăcut să devin pictor. |
| Dana: “I would have liked to become a painter.” |
Outro |
| Dana: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Mihai: La revedere. |
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