Romanian verbs ending in -a form many everyday present-tense verbs, but they do not all use the same pattern: Cânt în fiecare zi. (I sing every day.)
How do you form the present of an -a verb?
First identify whether the verb is a no-ez verb or an -ez verb, then attach the person-and-number endings for that pattern. The infinitive ending alone does not predict the answer.
| Pattern | What to learn | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Without -ez-/-eaz- | The stem plus present endings | a cânta -> cânt, cânți, cântă (to sing) |
| With -ez-/-eaz- | The stem, the inserted element, and the endings | a lucra -> lucrez, lucrezi, lucrează (to work) |
| Either pattern | Learn key present forms with the infinitive | Do not infer cântez or lucr from a cânta or a lucra |
Which -a verbs do not use -ez?
In the basic no-ez pattern, the present endings are usually -Ø, -i, -ă, -ăm, -ați, -ă. The third-person singular and plural are identical: el cântă and ei cântă.
| Person | a cânta (to sing) | English |
|---|---|---|
| eu | cânt | I sing |
| tu | cânți | you sing |
| el / ea | cântă | he / she sings |
| noi | cântăm | we sing |
| voi | cântați | you sing (plural) |
| ei / ele | cântă | they sing |
| Useful no-ez subpattern | Representative verb | Present forms to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Stem ending in a consonant plus r or l | a intra (to enter) | intru, intri, intră; intrăm, intrați, intră |
| Stem ending in -i after a vowel | a încuia (to lock) | încui, încui, încuie; încuiem, încuiați, încuie |
| Some verbs have a lexical spelling pattern | a întârzia (to be late) | întârzii, întârzii, întârzie; întârziem, întârziați, întârzie |
| A common -ua pattern | a continua (to continue) | continui, continui, continuă; continuăm, continuați, continuă |
Which -a verbs use -ez?
Many -a verbs insert -ez-/-eaz- before the ending in eu, tu, el/ea, and ei/ele. The plural forms noi and voi normally show the plain stem plus -ăm and -ați: lucrăm, lucrați.
| Person | a lucra (to work) | English |
|---|---|---|
| eu | lucrez | I work |
| tu | lucrezi | you work |
| el / ea | lucrează | he / she works |
| noi | lucrăm | we work |
| voi | lucrați | you work (plural) |
| ei / ele | lucrează | they work |
| Stem type | Representative verb | Present forms |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary consonant stem | a dansa (to dance) | dansez, dansezi, dansează; dansăm, dansați, dansează |
| Stem ending in c | a parca (to park) | parchez, parchezi, parchează; parcăm, parcați, parchează |
| Stem ending in -i | a copia (to copy) | copiez, copiezi, copiază; copiem, copiați, copiază |
With a stem ending in c or g, Romanian keeps the sound before e by writing ch or gh: parchez, not parcez. In verbs such as a copia, the third-person forms write -iază and the first-person plural is copiem. These are spelling and stem details to learn with the verb.
What does the present tense mean?
- Use it for a current action: Lucrez acum. (I am working now.) Romanian uses the present for both the English simple and continuous present.
- Use it for a habit or regular activity: Cântăm în fiecare duminică. (We sing every Sunday.)
- Use it for a current state or a stable fact: Locuiește în Cluj. (He or she lives in Cluj.)
- It can refer to a certain near-future plan: Mâine intrăm la ora opt. (Tomorrow we go in at eight.)
Can you omit the subject?
Yes. Romanian commonly omits eu, tu, el, and the other subject pronouns when the verb form and context identify the subject: Lucrez acasă. (I work at home.) Keep the pronoun for contrast or emphasis: Eu lucrez, dar ea dansează. (I work, but she dances.)
How do you make statements negative?
Put nu immediately before the finite verb — the verb that carries tense and agrees with the subject: Nu cânt azi. (I am not singing today.) With an omitted subject, the verb still carries the same person information.
| Positive | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Lucrezi aici. | Nu lucrezi aici. | You work / do not work here. |
| Ana cântă. | Ana nu cântă. | Ana sings / does not sing. |
| Parcăm aici. | Nu parcăm aici. | We park / do not park here. |
How do you ask a question?
Romanian does not need a special auxiliary for a yes-or-no question. Keep the ordinary verb form and use question intonation in speech or a question mark in writing: Lucrezi mâine? (Are you working tomorrow?)
- A subject pronoun can be included when it matters: Tu cânți? (Are you singing?)
- A question word comes before the clause when needed: Unde lucrezi? (Where do you work?)
- Do not add an English-style do: Cânți română? is not a Romanian question; say Cânți în română? (Do you sing in Romanian?) when that is the meaning.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not add -ez to every -a verb: the correct form is cânt, not cântez, for a cânta.
- Do not remove -ez from a verb that needs it: lucrez means I work; lucr is not the present form.
- Do not assume that the -ez element appears in every person: lucrăm and lucrați are correct, not lucrezăm and lucrezați.
- Keep the other conjugation groups and irregular verbs separate. A verb ending in -ea, -e, -i, or -î, and verbs such as a fi and a avea, need their own present-tense patterns.
Which pair comes from a common -a verb without -ez- in the present?
- cânt, cânți
- lucrez, lucrezi
- copiez, copiezi
- parchez, parchezi
A cânta uses the no-ez pattern: cânt and cânți. The other pairs show the -ez pattern.
Complete the question: Tu ___ mașina aici?
- parcă
- parcați
- parchezi
- parchez
The second-person singular form of a parca is parchezi. The c changes to ch before e in the spelling.
Choose the sentence meaning “We work every day.”
- Noi lucrez în fiecare zi.
- Noi lucrăm în fiecare zi.
- Noi lucrează în fiecare zi.
- Noi lucrați în fiecare zi.
The first-person plural form of a lucra is lucrăm. It does not contain -ez-; lucrează is third person and lucrați is second-person plural.
Which sentence correctly says “Ana sings at home”?
- Ana cântez acasă.
- Ana cântați acasă.
- Ana cântăm acasă.
- Ana cântă acasă.
Ana is third-person singular, so a cânta takes cântă. The forms cântez, cântați, and cântăm belong to other persons or patterns.
What is the best way to learn whether a new -a verb uses -ez-?
- Choose -ez- from the infinitive ending alone.
- Learn the infinitive together with key present forms.
- Use one identical form for all six persons.
- Add -ez- to every -a verb and remove it later if needed.
The infinitive ending -a does not predict the present pattern. Learn the verb with forms such as first-person singular, third-person singular, and first-person plural.