Present-tense patterns for -i and -î verbs

Romanian verbs ending in -i or -î belong to the same traditional fourth conjugation, but their present forms split into several patterns. The infinitive ending is a useful label, not a complete prediction: Citesc în fiecare seară. (I read every evening.)

How do you form the present of -i and -î verbs?

Start with the verb's present stem, choose the pattern it belongs to, and then use the person and number ending; do not choose the pattern from the infinitive ending alone.

1. Keep the infinitive with a: a dormi (to sleep), a citi (to read), a coborî (to descend), or a hotărî (to decide).
2. Check whether the verb has no present extension, an -esc-/-ește- extension, or an -ăsc-/-ăște- extension. These extensions usually appear in all singular persons and in the 3rd person plural.
3. Check the stem as well. Vowels or consonants can change in a present form, as in dorm but doarme and vin but vii.
4. Add the subject only when it helps identify or contrast the person. The verb form normally carries the subject information.

Which -i verbs have no -esc- extension?

Many common -i verbs use the shorter stem in the present. In the basic no-extension pattern, the forms are eu -, tu -i, el/ea -e, noi -im, voi -iți, and ei/ele -, although the stem can change.

The a dormi paradigm has a stem vowel change in the 3rd person singular: dorm- becomes doarm-. Other common no-extension verbs include a fugi (to run), a ieși (to go out), and a veni (to come), but each verb still needs its own present forms checked.

Which -i verbs use -esc- and -ește-?

A large group of -i verbs adds -esc- in the 1st person singular and 3rd person plural, -ești in the 2nd person singular, and -ește in the 3rd person singular. The plural 1st and 2nd persons use the shorter stem.

The extension is part of the verb's present pattern, not a universal ending for every -i verb. Compare citesc, citești, citește with citim, citiți: do not write or say citescim or citeșți. Other frequent verbs with this pattern include a vorbi (to speak), a iubi (to love), a gândi (to think), and a primi (to receive).

How do -î verbs differ?

Verbs ending in -î also belong to the fourth conjugation, but their ordinary endings include -âm and -âți in the plural. Some have no extension, while others use -ăsc-/-ăște-; the infinitive ending does not decide between these two choices.

In a coborî, the 3rd person forms have coboară and no -ăsc- extension. In a hotărî, -ăsc-/-ăște- appears in the singular and in the 3rd person plural, while noi hotărâm and voi hotărâți use the shorter stem. Other verbs with the -ăsc-/-ăște- pattern include a amărî (to upset) and a pârî (to denounce).

What stem changes should you learn?

Some present forms cannot be made by simply removing a and adding an ending. Record the forms that expose the change, especially the 1st and 3rd person singular and the 1st and 2nd person plural.

What happens to a final -i?

In forms such as tu dormi and tu cobori, keep the final -i. Cojocaru describes final i after a consonant as a very short [i] sound, so it is not simply silent; it helps distinguish forms such as eu dorm and tu dormi. This is a spelling and pronunciation detail, not a reason to add -i to every person.

How do you omit the subject, negate, and ask a question?

Romanian normally lets the finite verb show the subject: Citim acum. (We are reading now.) Add noi only for emphasis or contrast, as in Noi citim, dar ei dorm. (We read, but they sleep.)

• Put nu directly before the present verb: Nu dorm. (I am not sleeping.) and Nu hotărăsc astăzi. (I am not deciding today.)
• A basic yes-or-no question has no special verb form. Use the same word order with question intonation in speech or a question mark in writing: Citești acum? (Are you reading now?)
• With a question word, keep the question word before the verb: Când vii? (When are you coming?) and Ce citește Ana? (What is Ana reading?)
• The present can describe a habit or an action happening now because Romanian has no separate progressive form: Lucrez aici. can mean I work here or I am working here, depending on context.

Which high-frequency verbs are exceptions?

Some frequent verbs ending in -i must be memorized as irregular or special forms. The most important beginner example is a fi (to be), whose present is sunt, ești, este/e, suntem, sunteți, sunt. Do not try to build it from the regular -i patterns.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not assume that every -i verb uses -esc-: a dormi gives dorm, but a citi gives citesc.
• Do not assume that every -î verb uses -ăsc-: a coborî gives cobor, but a hotărî gives hotărăsc.
• Do not use a bare infinitive ending as a present ending: noi citim and voi citiți, not noi citi or voi citî.
• Do not remove subject information when the form is ambiguous in context. Add eu, tu, or another subject when contrast matters, even though omission is normal.
• Do not put nu after the verb: say Ana nu citește. (Ana is not reading.), not Ana citește nu.