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The first sentences of a conversation in Romanian rest on the verb a fi (to be), on the subject pronouns, which are usually left out, and on the choice between tu and dumneavoastră for English “you”.
Subject pronouns and the subject left out: eu, tu, el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele#
Formation
The subject pronouns are eu (I), tu (you, one person, familiar), el (he), ea (she), noi (we), voi (you, several people), ei (they, men or a mixed group) and ele (they, women only). El and ea also refer to things: el to a masculine or neuter noun, ea to a feminine one. Eu, el, ea, ei and ele are pronounced with a y sound at the start: [jew], [jel], [ja], [jej], [ˈjele]. The polite “you”, dumneavoastră, is explained in “The polite you: dumneavoastră with the second person plural”.
| Person | Pronoun | English | a fi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | eu | I | sunt |
| 2nd singular | tu | you (familiar) | ești |
| 3rd singular | el, ea | he, she, it | este, e |
| 1st plural | noi | we | suntem |
| 2nd plural | voi, dumneavoastră | you (several; polite) | sunteți |
| 3rd plural | ei, ele | they | sunt |
Use
The ending of the verb shows the person, so the subject pronoun is usually left out: Sunt studentă means “I am a student”, Suntem din Brașov “We are from Brașov”. The pronoun is expressed to stress or contrast two people (Eu sunt din Cluj, el e din Iași), and where one form could refer to two persons: sunt is the form of both eu and ei. English “it” as a subject has no equivalent: E târziu (“It’s late”), Plouă (“It’s raining”).
- Sunt din Timișoara și lucrez la o bancă.I’m from Timișoara and I work at a bank.
- Eu sunt profesor, ea e studentă.I’m a teacher, and she’s a student.
- E târziu. Mergem acasă?It’s late. Shall we go home?
- Ana și Elena? Ele sunt din Sibiu.Ana and Elena? They’re from Sibiu.
Difference from English
In English, a statement always has a subject: “am from Iași” is not a sentence. In Romanian, Sunt din Iași is the normal form, and a pronoun repeated in every sentence sounds heavy. English “they” has one form; Romanian has ei for men or a mixed group and ele for women only.
Common mistakes
Eu sunt Radu. Eu sunt din Cluj. Eu sunt student.→ Sunt Radu. Sunt din Cluj și sunt student.Once the person is known, the ending of the verb is enough.El e târziu.→ E târziu.English “it” about the time or the weather is not translated.Maria și Ana? Ei sunt aici.→ Maria și Ana? Ele sunt aici.A group of women only is ele.
Practise
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The polite you: dumneavoastră with the second person plural#
Formation
Dumneavoastră is the polite “you”, said to one person or to several. It takes the verb in the second person plural, the form of voi: dumneavoastră sunteți, dumneavoastră aveți, dumneavoastră lucrați. A noun or an adjective after the verb agrees with the person addressed, so it is singular when one person is meant: Dumneavoastră sunteți profesor? In writing, dumneavoastră is often abbreviated dvs.
Use
Tu is used with family, friends, children and, among young people, with a person of the same age. Dumneavoastră is used with a stranger, an older person, a customer or a teacher. Like the other subject pronouns, it is often left out, and the verb alone is polite: Sunteți din Cluj? The same choice is made in greetings and set phrases: Salut to a person addressed as tu, Bună ziua to a person addressed politely; vă rog (“please”) and Scuzați-mă (“excuse me”) are the polite forms.
- Dumneavoastră sunteți doamna Popescu?Are you Mrs Popescu?
- Sunteți din București?Are you from Bucharest?
- Vlad, ești acasă?Vlad, are you at home?
- Voi sunteți studenți, nu?You’re students, aren’t you?
Difference from English
English has one “you” for every situation; in Romanian, tu or dumneavoastră is chosen before the first word, because the choice changes the verb: “Where are you from?” is De unde ești? to a friend, De unde sunteți? to a stranger or to a group.
Common mistakes
Dumneavoastră ești obosit?→ Dumneavoastră sunteți obosit?Dumneavoastră takes the second person plural, even for one person.Domnule Pop, sunteți studenți?→ Domnule Pop, sunteți student?Said to one person, the noun after the verb is singular.
Practise
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Saying who you are: the present of a fi, eu sunt, tu ești#
Formation
A fi (to be) is irregular, and its six forms are learnt whole: sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt. Este has a short form, e, used in speech and in everyday writing; both are correct. Sunt is the form of eu and of ei, ele. Ești, este and e are pronounced with a y sound at the start, as if written iești, ieste, ie.
| a fi | |
|---|---|
| eu | sunt |
| tu | ești |
| el/ea | e |
| noi | suntem |
| voi | sunteți |
| ei/ele | sunt |
Use
A fi is used for a name (Sunt Ana), a job, a nationality, the place someone comes from, with din (Sunt din Craiova), the place where someone or something is (Ana e la școală), and to describe (Casa e mare). A job or a nationality after a fi takes no article: Sunt doctor, Tom e englez; a woman says Sunt studentă, Sunt profesoară. A name is also given with the set phrase Mă numesc … (“My name is …”), whose verb is explained in “Reflexive verbs in the present: mă spăl, mă numesc, mă trezesc”. Age is expressed with a avea, explained in “The present of a avea: am, ai, are”.
- Sunt Mihai și sunt din Constanța.I’m Mihai and I’m from Constanța.
- Tom e englez, este din Londra.Tom is English, he’s from London.
- Suntem la gară.We’re at the station.
- Unde sunt copiii?Where are the children?
- Elena este profesoară.Elena is a teacher.
Difference from English
English has three present forms of “to be”, am, is and are; Romanian has a form for almost every person. English a before a job is not translated: “I’m a doctor” is Sunt doctor. English “I am twenty” is Am douăzeci de ani, with a avea.
Common mistakes
Sunt un doctor.→ Sunt doctor.After a fi, a job takes no article.Ei este din Sibiu.→ Ei sunt din Sibiu.The third person plural of a fi is sunt.Sunt douăzeci ani.→ Am douăzeci de ani.Age is expressed with a avea.
In short
| Point | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| subject pronouns | eu, tu, el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele, usually left out | Sunt din Cluj. |
| “it” as a subject | no word | E târziu. |
| familiar “you” | tu + 2nd person singular | Tu ești din Iași? |
| polite “you” | dumneavoastră + 2nd person plural | Sunteți obosit? |
| a fi | sunt, ești, este (e), suntem, sunteți, sunt | Elena e profesoară. |
| a job after a fi | no article | Sunt doctor. |
Practise
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