# oare = maybe/perhpas?



## jboone

Here in Hunedoara I seem to hear 'oare' used in a sense similar to 'poate că', as in 'Oare nu vine şeful astăzi'. I don't see this meaning in the dictionary or in other online dictionaries. Am I understanding it correctly when used in examples like this one? Merci mult!


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## Reef Archer

*Oare* = Could it be? I wonder...


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## farscape

_Oare_ is an interrogative adverb and therefore has to be used in a question _Oare vine șeful astăzi? _ meaning something like "I'm wondering whether the boss is coming in today?" if I were to preserve the interrogative form of the original.

Best,


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## jboone

Thanks very much, this helps a lot. So it seems oare is quite similar to _parcă_ (adverbial sense 1), another word that's not in the WR dictionary.


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## Reef Archer

Not quite 
Parcă is something else; it implies some degree of certainty (parcă = *it seems that*, *it looks like*).
Oare is something you would say when you don't really have a clue what will happen.

Besides, you will notice that people in those lands have a particular way of speaking, which includes distinct words and expressions other Romanians often find as delectable but which they don't always understand. And it goes beyond the specific accent.
Still, the example you provided is very clear: "*I wonder* if the boss comes by today."
*Parcă* vine șeful azi = *It seems* the boss comes by today.


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## farscape

jboone said:


> ... another word that's not in the WR dictionary.



I always use the "dictionary" at dexonline.ro: it's probably the most comprehensive Romanian dictionary on the 'Net, combining dictionaries published by the Romanian Academy and other valuable sources. The sticky at the top of the front page contains an excellent collection of Romanian language resources on the 'Net.

Later,


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## jboone

Many thanks. The links to dex and hallo are particularly helpful, and I've been using them often.


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## jboone

One question to add: I also hear "s-ar putea" very often. The dictionaries say it's closer to probabil, expressing a higher degree of expectation or certainty than oare, poate că, or parcă. 

Do native speakers agree? In the contexts in which I hear s-ar putea, it seems like it is often used as a synonym for poate că, something closer to "could be..." or "maybe" in English. Mulţumesc mult.


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## farscape

I think you got the general idea, I'd translate "s-ar putea" as "it may happen" to be closer to a literal translation, but the meanings you've quoted above are OK.

Later,


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