The Focus of This Lesson is Expressing Opinions

Mulțumesc. Aș vrea să o citesc. Credeți că sunt șanse să o găsesc la biblioteca universității?
"Thank you. I would like to read it. Do you think I could find it at the university library?"

In this lesson, we will learn how to:

1.    give or ask for opinions

2.    agree

3.    disagree

1. How to give or ask for opinions

There are at least two distinct ways to express opinions- by using specific verbs or by introducing them through specific phrases.

In the chart below you can find the most common syntactic structures used for giving opinions.

Giving opinions chart

In order to ask for an opinion, interrogative sentences formed with specific verbs or verbal phrases are used.

The following verbs are most commonly used in these situations:

Asking for an opinion

2. How to agree

Agreeing can be expressed either formally or informally by using different phrases for each situation.

The chart below offers the main phrases used in Romanian for expressing agreement.

Expressing agreement chart

3. How to disagree

Similarly to the agreement expression, these can also be reported either formally or informally.

The chart below offers the main phrases used in Romania for expressing disagreement.

Expressing disagreement chart

Examples from the Dialogue

1. În opinia lui Durkheim, sociologia este o știință distinctă și autonomă.
   "According to Durkheim, sociology is a distinct and autonomous science."
2. Mulțumesc. Aș vrea să o citesc. Credeți că sunt șanse să o găsesc la biblioteca universității?
   "Thank you. I would like to read it. Do you think I could find it at the university library?"
3. Da, pentru mine este în ordine. Stabilește și cu Simona și dați-mi de veste dacă vă pot ajuta cu ceva.
   "Yes, it's okay with me. It's also set with Simona. Let me know if I can help you with anything."

Sample Sentences

1. Ce părere aveți despre rezultatele alegerilor prezidențiale?
   "What do you think about the results of the presidential election?"
2. Eu nu cred că va ploua deseară.
   "I do not think it will rain tonight."
3. Tot mai mulți oameni sunt de părere că în viață este bine să alegi o meserie care te face fericit.
   "More and more people are of the opinion that in life it is good to choose a job that makes you happy."

a fi de acord
"to agree"

This verbal phrase is formed from the infinitive of a fi ("to be"), de ("of"- preposition), and the neuter noun acord ("agreement") in singular form. Therefore, the literal translation is "to be in agreement," or more simply put, "to agree."

This phrase is used when we want to indicate that the subject of the action has confirmed his or her agreement to a specific action or element mentioned in the text. This is a rather formal expression of subject's agreement. More informal alternatives could be a fi ok să/cu... "to be ok to/with...".

For example..

1. Sunt de acord să amânăm întâlnirea cu Petre pe mâine dimineață.
   "I agree to postpone the meeting with Petre for tomorrow morning."

a fi în ordine
"to be ok"

This is a verbal phrase composed of the infinitive form of the verb a fi "to be," the în "in" preposition, and the noun ordine "order" in feminine singular. The last two words also compose the adverbial phrase în ordine "ok," which basically means "to be ok," "to be in (the right) order."

This phrase is used to express that the subject of an action is ok with a certain element mentioned in the sentence, that he/she/it feels everything is in the right order concerning that element. In more formal or colloquial speech the phrase a fi ok "to be ok" can be used instead.

For example..

1. E în ordine să las bagajele aici?
   "Is it okay to leave the luggage here?"

Social work in Romania

Humanitarian activity evolved in Romania after the fall of communism in 1989, when Romanian society was at its lowest and in need of patching up and guidance towards stability and prosperity. Since the government and political structures of the country were devastated, it was up to a wide variety of Non-Governmental Organizations, churches and individuals from the West to lend a hand and offer humanitarian goods. In this way, the lowest social classes would be taken out of misery and the younger generations of the country would have a chance at a better future. In more recent years, the national social work system has modernized based on specific legislative frames that are in line with the European and International recommendations and standards. As a result, social work and government institutions run at every level of society (local, county, city and national) to help those in need. In spite of all the progress that has been made, one of the major problems that Romania is facing now is the lack of specialized social workers that handle the immense workload the organization receives constantly. The academic field is well developed in the field of social studies, starting with Bachelor degrees all the way to PhDs; however, this particular field is poorly funded by the government. Even though there are students who are interested in making a change in the social context of Romania, they find it very difficult to do so because these jobs fail to provide them with a decent living. Nevertheless, there are some that prevail and, despite the difficulties, still want to help people. The most popular social work programs in Romania are the Hospice House of Hope, which is a palliative NGO specializing in patients with terminal illness; the Red Cross Romania, which assists vulnerable individuals in disaster or crisis situations; and the Communitarian Foundations, which are based on interested citizens from various cities who want to make a change at a local level. Also, there is a wide variety of Job Fair events organized by different NGOs in order to help unemployed people find work more easily, including those of which the state provides favorable work legislation.

Useful expression

1. a pune mână de la mână
   "to join together"