The twelve high-frequency Romanian verbs in this lesson have present forms that cannot be built reliably from the infinitive alone. Learn each verb with its key forms: Știu răspunsul. (I know the answer.)
What makes these present forms irregular?
The present indicative is the ordinary present used for facts, habits, and actions happening now. An irregular verb may use a different stem, a stem alternation, or a special form in one or more persons. No single formula predicts every verb in this group.
Which six-form sets should you learn first?
The tables below give the present indicative in the order eu, tu, el / ea, noi, voi, and ei / ele. The forms in the same row belong to one verb; do not assume that a similar infinitive will follow the same row.
| Infinitive and meaning | eu | tu | el / ea | noi | voi | ei / ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a fi (to be) | sunt | ești | este (full form); e (common shorter form) | suntem | sunteți | sunt |
| a avea (to have) | am | ai | are | avem | aveți | au |
| a putea (can; to be able to) | pot | poți | poate | putem | puteți | pot |
| a vrea (to want) | vreau | vrei | vrea | vrem | vreți | vor |
| Infinitive and meaning | eu | tu | el / ea | noi | voi | ei / ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a ști (to know) | știu | știi | știe | știm | știți | știu |
| a da (to give) | dau | dai | dă | dăm | dați | dau |
| a lua (to take) | iau | iei | ia | luăm | luați | iau |
| a sta (to stay; to sit; to stand) | stau | stai | stă | stăm | stați | stau |
| Infinitive and meaning | eu | tu | el / ea | noi | voi | ei / ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a bea (to drink) | beau | bei | bea | bem | beți | beau |
| a mânca (to eat) | mănânc | mănânci | mănâncă | mâncăm | mâncați | mănâncă |
| a face (to do; to make) | fac | faci | face | facem | faceți | fac |
| a veni (to come) | vin | vii | vine | venim | veniți | vin |
These paradigms include several different kinds of change. A lua has iau, iei, ia beside luăm and luați. A veni has vin and vii beside vine and venim. Other forms of a face alternate between fac- and făc-, while its present has fac, faci, face. Memorize each set for its verb; do not extend it automatically to every verb.
How do you use six high-frequency irregular verbs?
Use the same present-tense sentence patterns as with regular verbs, but choose the memorized form that agrees with the subject. Romanian often leaves out a subject pronoun when the context is clear.
| Verb and use | Romanian example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a fi: identity or location | Sunt studentă. Ea este acasă. | I am a student. She is at home. |
| a avea: possession, age, or need | Am douăzeci de ani și am nevoie de ajutor. | I am twenty years old and I need help. |
| a putea + să: ability or possibility | Pot să vin mâine. | I can come tomorrow. |
| a vrea + să: desire or intention | Vrem să învățăm română. | We want to learn Romanian. |
| a ști: knowledge or a learned ability | Știu răspunsul și știu să înot. | I know the answer and I know how to swim. |
| a sta: remaining, sitting, or standing | Stau acasă. Stau pe scaun. | I am staying at home. I am sitting on the chair. |
After a putea, a vrea, and similar verbs, the next verb commonly appears in the present subjunctive with să: Nu pot să plec. (I cannot leave.) See the Romanian present subjunctive for that following verb. With a sta, the English translation depends on the context: stau în picioare means I am standing, while stau pe scaun means I am sitting.
Which forms can have two jobs?
The next table distinguishes lexical verbs from two auxiliary uses. Look at the words around each form before translating it.
| Form | As a main verb | As an auxiliary |
|---|---|---|
| am (1st singular); au (3rd plural) | Am o întrebare. (I have a question.) | Am citit cartea. (I read / have read the book.) — a avea is the auxiliary before a past participle. |
| vor | Ei vor cafea. (They want coffee.) | Ei vor veni. (They will come.) — here vor is the future auxiliary, not the lexical verb a vrea. |
Este and e are both present forms of a fi: El este aici. (He is here.) E is the shorter common form, while este is the full form. The separate articles on the present of a fi and the present of a avea give more detail on their main uses. The surrounding verb or noun phrase usually identifies the use: vor cafea has a noun object, while vor veni has another verb.
How do you negate and question these verbs?
Put nu directly before the finite verb — the form that carries the present tense and agrees with the subject. For a basic yes-or-no question, keep the same verb form and use question intonation in speech or a question mark in writing.
| Use | Romanian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Negative statement | Nu știu. | I do not know. |
| Negative modal | Nu pot să vin. | I cannot come. |
| Yes-or-no question | Vrei cafea? | Do you want coffee? |
| Question with a da | Dai lecția astăzi? | Are you giving the lesson today? |
For the general placement of nu, see Romanian negation with nu. Do not add an English-style auxiliary such as “do” to a Romanian present question. Use the finite verb directly: Știi răspunsul? (Do you know the answer?)
What should you memorize, and what should you not assume?
- Memorize a high-frequency verb as a + infinitive plus a small set of present forms: a vrea — vreau, vrea, vrem, vor.
- Use neutral contemporary Standard Romanian first. Check a dictionary when a new verb has an unfamiliar present set.
- Use a finite present form after the subject: Noi venim mâine, not Noi a veni mâine.
- Use the subject to choose the person: Noi vrem, but ei vor; noi putem, but ei pot.
- Keep all diacritics in careful writing: știu, știe, dă, stă, mănâncă, beți.
- Do not make a new irregular verb from a familiar one: tu iei is the form of a lua, but tu bei is the form of a bea.
- When a form is shared by two persons, context identifies the person: Dau un telefon can mean I am making a call or They are making a call.
Which form completes: Tu ___ să vii mâine?
- pot
- poți
- poate
- puteți
The second-person singular form of a putea is poți: Tu poți să vii mâine? Pot can be first-person singular or third-person plural. Poate is third-person singular, and puteți is second-person plural.
Complete: Noi ___ autobuzul la ora opt.
- iau
- iei
- luăm
- ia
With noi, a lua uses luăm. The forms iau, iei, and ia belong to other persons, and the change from lua- to luăm must be learned as part of the paradigm.
Which sentence means “They want coffee”?
- Ei vor cafea.
- Ei vor veni.
- Ei vrem cafea.
- Ei vreți cafea.
Ei vor cafea uses vor as the third-person plural present of a vrea, followed by the noun cafea. In Ei vor veni, vor is the future auxiliary before another verb.
Complete: Ana ___ acasă în seara aceasta.
- stau
- stai
- stați
- stă
Ana is third-person singular, so a sta takes stă. The other options are first-person singular, second-person singular, and second-person plural.
Which sentence uses vor as the present verb “want,” rather than as the future auxiliary?
- Ei vor pleca.
- Ei vor să plece.
- Ei vor veni.
- Ei vor lucra.
In Ei vor să plece, vor is the present form of a vrea and is followed by să plus the next verb. In the other sentences, vor is the future auxiliary and comes directly before another verb.