Present-tense patterns for -e verbs

Romanian verbs whose short infinitive ends in -e belong to the third traditional conjugation. Their present forms often use a familiar set of endings, but the stem can change: Cer ajutor. (I ask for help.)

What counts as an -e verb?

Look at the dictionary form with a: a cere (to ask), a face (to do, to make), and a scrie (to write) all end in -e. This ending identifies a useful verb family, but it does not predict every present form. The conjugation-group overview explains why the label is a starting point rather than a complete formula.

The first-person singular and third-person plural are often identical: eu cer and ei cer. After a stem ending in consonant + r/l or in a vowel, these two persons commonly show -u: umplu and scriu. The first- and second-person plural endings are unstressed in this group.

Which complete paradigms should you learn first?

Use a cere as the clearest consonant-stem model, then compare it with common verbs whose stems end in different sounds. The table gives complete present-indicative paradigms; el / ea and ei / ele show the person and number combinations, not gendered verb endings.

These forms express ordinary present meanings such as a habit, a current state, or an action happening now: Merg la serviciu în fiecare zi. (I go to work every day.) and Scriu un mesaj acum. (I am writing a message now.) Romanian uses the present tense for both meanings; context or a time expression makes the meaning clear.

How do the main stem patterns differ?

Start with the ending, then learn the stem shape of the individual verb. The most useful patterns are these:

• A consonant stem follows the a cere pattern: cer, ceri, cere, cerem, cereți, cer. Other common verbs use this broad pattern, including a face, a merge, and a înțelege: înțeleg, înțelegi, înțelege, înțelegem, înțelegeți, înțeleg. The same family includes a naște (to give birth): nasc, naști, naște, naștem, nașteți, nasc.
• A stem ending in -n can lose the n before the second-person singular ending and change its vowel: a pune gives pun, pui, pune, punem, puneți, pun. The same useful warning applies to a rămâne: rămân, rămâi, rămâne, rămânem, rămâneți, rămân.
• A stem ending in consonant + r/l takes -u in eu and ei / ele: a umple gives umplu and umplu, but umpli, umple, umplem, and umpleți elsewhere.
• A vowel-final stem takes -u in eu and ei / ele, while tu can show two i letters: a scrie gives scriu, scrii, scrie, scriem, scrieți, scriu. The first i in scrii belongs to the stem and the second marks the person.
• Even when removing final -e exposes a useful stem, it does not supply the complete paradigm. For a face, record fac, faci, face and the plural forms above instead of assuming that one extracted stem predicts every form.

The endings are therefore regular enough to organize your notes, while the stem determines the actual spelling. Keep the infinitive and at least the eu, tu, and el / ea forms together when a verb has a change: a pune - pun, pui, pune; a scrie - scriu, scrii, scrie.

Can you leave out the subject pronoun?

Yes. Romanian often omits a subject pronoun when the verb form and context make the subject clear, as explained in Romanian subject pronouns. Say Cere ajutor. (He or she asks for help.) or Cerem ajutor. (We ask for help.) without writing el / ea or noi.

• Keep the pronoun for contrast: Eu cer informații, iar ei cer ajutor. (I ask for information, while they ask for help.)
• The form cer can mean eu cer or ei / ele cer, so context may matter. Add eu or ei when you need to remove that ambiguity.
• For polite singular or plural address, dumneavoastră takes the plural form: Dumneavoastră cereți ajutor? (Are you asking for help?)

How do you make an -e verb negative?

Put nu directly before the finite verb, the form that carries tense and agrees with the subject. This is the same basic placement described in Romanian negation with nu: Nu scriu acum. (I am not writing now.)

How do you ask questions?

A basic yes-or-no question keeps the same word order and uses question intonation in speech or a question mark in writing: Scrii un mesaj? (Are you writing a message?) and Mergeți la film? (Are you going to the cinema?) A negative question keeps nu before the verb: Nu pui întrebarea? (Aren't you asking the question?)

With a question word, keep the finite verb in its normal person form: Ce cere Ana? (What does Ana ask for?) and Ce scrieți? (What are you writing, in plural or polite address?) The subject can follow the verb when the question word is the object.

Which verbs do not belong in this pattern?

Do not group a verb by an English translation or by a similar-looking Romanian form. A vedea (to see) ends in -ea, not -e; a cânta (to sing) ends in -a; and a dormi (to sleep) ends in -i. Their present-tense patterns belong to separate topics, so do not transfer cerem or scrii to them.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not use the infinitive after a subject: say Eu scriu un e-mail. (I write an email.), not Eu a scrie un e-mail.
• Do not assume that eu always has the same ending. Compare cer with umplu and scriu.
• Do not regularize a pune: the second-person singular is pui, not puni.
• Do not put nu after the verb: say Nu merg la birou. (I am not going to the office.), not Merg nu la birou.
• Do not apply this article to -ea, -a, or -i/-î verbs. Check the infinitive and learn the verb's actual present forms.