Language/Romanian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

From Polyglot Club WIKI
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This lesson can still be improved. EDIT IT NOW! & become VIP
Rate this lesson:
4.00
(one vote)

Romania-Language-PolyglotClub.png
Romanian Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Romanian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be discussing the use of the verb "be" in Romanian. This is a crucial topic when it comes to sentence structure, so pay close attention!

Introduction[edit | edit source]

In Romanian, the verb "to be" is "a fi". Like in many other languages, "to be" is essential in forming simple and complex sentences. We use it to describe existence or identity, to form negative sentences, and to ask questions.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Cases, Conditional Mood, Verb to be with names and places & The Locative Case in Romanian.

Present Tense[edit | edit source]

In Romanian, there are different forms of "be" when used in the present tense. Let's take a look:

Romanian Pronunciation English
sunt soon-t am/is/are
ești yest are
este es-te is
suntem soon-tem are (we)
sunteți soon-tets are (you plural)
sunt soon-t are (they)

Examples[edit | edit source]

Here are a few examples of the verb "be" in use:

  • Eu sunt Ana. (I am Ana)
  • Voi sunteți studenți. (You all are students)
  • Ei sunt mari fani ai echipei naționale. (They are big fans of the national team)

Negation[edit | edit source]

To form negative sentences in Romanian, you add "nu" before the verb. Here are some examples using the present tense with negation:

Romanian Pronunciation English
nu sunt noo soon-t am/is/are not
nu ești noo yest are not
nu este noo es-te is not
nu suntem noo soon-tem are not (we)
nu sunteți noo soon-tets are not (you plural)
nu sunt noo soon-t are not (they)

Examples[edit | edit source]

Here are a few examples of negation with the verb "be":

  • Eu nu sunt Ana. (I am not Ana)
  • Ei nu sunt mari fani. (They are not big fans)
  • Noi nu suntem învățători. (We are not teachers)

Past Tense[edit | edit source]

In the past tense, the verb "to be" is slightly different in Romanian. Here is the conjugation:

Romanian Pronunciation English
am fost am fost was/were
ai fost eye fost were
a fost ah fost was
am fost am fost were (we)
ați fost ah-ti fost were (you plural)
au fost ah-oo fost were (they)

Examples[edit | edit source]

Here are a few examples of the past tense:

  • Mia a fost foarte greu când am început. (It was very difficult when I started)
  • Voi ați fost la mare vara trecută? (Were you all at the seaside last summer?)
  • Ana și Petru au fost foarte bucuroși să se vadă după mult timp. (Ana and Petru were very happy to see each other after a long time)

Future Tense[edit | edit source]

In the future tense, the verb "be" is used with the auxiliary "o să", which means "will". Here is the conjugation:

Romanian Pronunciation English
o să fiu oh suh fee-oo will be
o să fii oh suh fee will be
o să fie oh suh fee-ye will be
o să fim oh suh feem will be (we)
o să fiți oh suh feetz will be (you plural)
o să fie oh suh fee-ye will be (they)

Examples[edit | edit source]

Here are a few examples of the future tense:

  • Mâine o să fiu foarte ocupat. (Tomorrow I will be very busy)
  • O să fii acolo la ora 5? (Will you be there at 5 o'clock?)
  • O să fim în București săptămâna viitoare. (We will be in Bucharest next week)

Dialogue[edit | edit source]

Here's a dialogue so you can see the verb "be" in context:

  • Person 1: Ce faci? (What are you doing?)
  • Person 2: Eu sunt la lucru acum. (I am at work right now)
  • Person 1: Voi sunteți pregătiți pentru examenul de mâine? (Are you all ready for tomorrow's exam?)
  • Person 2: Da, suntem. (Yes, we are)
  • Person 1: Câți ani ai? (How old are you?)
  • Person 2: Eu am 30 de ani. (I am 30 years old)

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

Congratulations, you've reached the end of this lesson on how to use "be" in Romanian! It's a crucial verb to master, but with practice, you'll get the hang of it in no time. To improve your Romanian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!


➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Negation, Romanian Grammar: Plural Nouns, The Nominative Case in Romanian & How to Use Have.


Contributors

Maintenance script


Create a new Lesson