A1 Basic Verbs 1 min read Leicht

High-frequency Irregulars

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Irregular verbs like 'a fi' (to be) and 'a avea' (to have) don't follow standard patterns; you must memorize their specific forms.

  • A fi (to be) changes completely: Eu sunt, tu ești, el/ea este.
  • A avea (to have) uses 'am' for 'I have', not 'aveu'.
  • Irregular verbs are the foundation of Romanian; learn these first to build basic sentences.
Subject + Irregular Verb Form + Object/Complement

Meanings

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard conjugation patterns of the four main Romanian verb groups.

1

Existence and Possession

Using 'to be' and 'to have' as auxiliary or main verbs.

“Eu sunt aici.”

“Tu ai o mașină.”

2

Desire and Will

Expressing wants or future intentions.

“Eu vreau o cafea.”

“Vrei să mergem?”

Conjugation of 'A Fi' (To Be)

Person Singular Plural
1st (Eu/Noi) sunt suntem
2nd (Tu/Voi) ești sunteți
3rd (El/Ei) este sunt

Common Contractions

Full Form Contraction
nu am n-am
nu este nu-i
nu vrea nu vrea

Reference Table

Reference table for High-frequency Irregulars
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subject + Verb Eu sunt fericit.
Negative Nu + Verb Eu nu sunt fericit.
Question Verb + Subject? Ești fericit?
Short Answer Da/Nu + Verb Da, sunt.
Future Voi + Verb Voi fi acolo.
Past Am + Verb Am fost acolo.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Doresc o cafea.

Doresc o cafea. (Ordering at a cafe)

Neutral
Vreau o cafea.

Vreau o cafea. (Ordering at a cafe)

Informell
Vreau o cafea.

Vreau o cafea. (Ordering at a cafe)

Umgangssprache
Bagă o cafea.

Bagă o cafea. (Ordering at a cafe)

The Irregular Verb Core

Irregular Verbs

Existence

  • a fi to be

Possession

  • a avea to have

Desire

  • a vrea to want
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Examples by Level

1

Eu sunt student.

I am a student.

2

Tu ai o carte.

You have a book.

3

Noi suntem aici.

We are here.

4

Ei au o mașină.

They have a car.

1

Nu sunt obosit.

I am not tired.

2

Vrei să mănânci?

Do you want to eat?

3

Ea are nevoie de ajutor.

She needs help.

4

Sunteți gata de plecare?

Are you ready to leave?

1

Am avut o zi lungă.

I have had a long day.

2

Dacă aș fi bogat, aș călători.

If I were rich, I would travel.

3

Ei vor să viziteze orașul.

They want to visit the city.

4

Nu am știut că ești aici.

I didn't know you were here.

1

Este esențial să fii punctual.

It is essential to be punctual.

2

Deși are experiență, este modest.

Although he has experience, he is modest.

3

Voi fi acolo la timp.

I will be there on time.

4

Ar fi fost mai bine așa.

It would have been better this way.

1

Fie ce-o fi, vom reuși.

Whatever happens, we will succeed.

2

A avea de-a face cu el este dificil.

Dealing with him is difficult.

3

Nu vor să admită adevărul.

They don't want to admit the truth.

4

Ești ceea ce gândești.

You are what you think.

1

Să fii sau să nu fii, aceasta-i întrebarea.

To be or not to be, that is the question.

2

Oricât ar avea, tot nu este mulțumit.

No matter how much he has, he is still not satisfied.

3

Ar fi fost de preferat o altă abordare.

Another approach would have been preferable.

4

N-au vrut să asculte sfatul meu.

They didn't want to listen to my advice.

Easily Confused

High-frequency Irregulars vs. A fi vs A avea

Learners mix up 'to be' and 'to have' when expressing age or needs.

High-frequency Irregulars vs. Sunt (1st person) vs Sunt (3rd person plural)

They look the same.

High-frequency Irregulars vs. Vreau vs Voi

Both start with V.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Eu amez

✓

Eu am

Learners try to add regular endings to irregular verbs.
✗

Ei suntem

✓

Ei sunt

Confusing the plural form.
✗

Tu este

✓

Tu ești

Using the 3rd person for 2nd person.
✗

Nu sunt nu

✓

Nu sunt

Incorrect word order.
✗

Vreai

✓

Vrei

Adding an extra vowel.
✗

Suntem la magazin

✓

Suntem la magazin

Correct, but often confused with 'avem'.
✗

Aș fi fost

✓

Aș fi fost

Often confused with simple past.

Sentence Patterns

Eu ___ student.

Tu ___ o carte.

Noi ___ să plecăm.

Ei ___ fericiți.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Sunt la mare!

Texting constant

N-am timp.

Job Interview very common

Sunt pregătit.

Ordering Food very common

Vreau o pizza.

Travel common

Unde este gara?

Email common

Vă sunt recunoscător.

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💡

Flashcards

Use flashcards for these verbs. They are the only way to memorize them quickly.
⚠️

Don't Guess

Never guess the form of an irregular verb. If you don't know, look it up.
🎯

Contextualize

Learn these verbs in full sentences, not just lists.
💬

Politeness

Always add 'vă rog' when using 'a vrea'.

Smart Tips

Check if it's irregular before conjugating.

Conjugating 'a fi' like 'a lucra'. → Looking up 'a fi' and learning 'sunt'.

Focus on the most common forms first.

Trying to learn all forms at once. → Learning 'sunt' and 'am' first.

Use a verb table.

Guessing the spelling. → Checking the table.

Listen for the root.

Trying to hear the ending. → Listening for the whole word.

Aussprache

/sunt/

Sunt

Pronounced like 'soont'.

Question

Ești gata? ↑

Rising pitch at the end indicates a question.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember 'S.A.V.' — Sunt, Am, Vreau. These are your three keys to Romanian survival.

Visual Association

Imagine a person standing (Sunt) holding a bag (Am) and pointing at a cake they want (Vreau).

Rhyme

Sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt, / A fi e verb de mare importanță în acest pământ.

Story

Ion is a student (El este student). He has a big dream (El are un vis). He wants to travel the world (El vrea să călătorească).

Word Web

sunteștiesteamaiarevreauvrei

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences about yourself using 'sunt', 'am', and 'vreau' in 5 minutes.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Using 'a vrea' directly can sound blunt; adding 'vă rog' is essential.

Most of these verbs come directly from Latin.

Conversation Starters

“

Ești student?

“

Ai o mașină?

“

Vrei să ieșim?

“

Ești obosit?

Journal Prompts

Describe yourself using 'sunt'.
List 5 things you have.
What do you want to do this weekend?
Reflect on a past experience.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Eu ___ student.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sunt
1st person singular of 'a fi'.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Tu ___ o mașină.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ai
2nd person singular of 'a avea'.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Eu amez o cafea.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu vreau o cafea.
Vreau is the correct form.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

student / sunt / eu

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu sunt student.
Standard SVO order.
Conjugate 'a fi'. Conjugation Drill

Ei ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sunt
3rd person plural.
Match the verb to its meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: to be
A fi means to be.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Vrei cafea? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da, vreau.
1st person response.
Is this true? True False Rule

Irregular verbs follow standard rules.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
They are irregular.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Eu ___ student.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sunt
1st person singular of 'a fi'.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Tu ___ o mașină.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ai
2nd person singular of 'a avea'.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Eu amez o cafea.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu vreau o cafea.
Vreau is the correct form.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

student / sunt / eu

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu sunt student.
Standard SVO order.
Conjugate 'a fi'. Conjugation Drill

Ei ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sunt
3rd person plural.
Match the verb to its meaning. Match Pairs

a fi

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: to be
A fi means to be.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Vrei cafea? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da, vreau.
1st person response.
Is this true? True False Rule

Irregular verbs follow standard rules.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
They are irregular.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Because they don't follow standard conjugation rules.

There are many, but only a few are high-frequency.

No, that will make you sound incorrect.

Start with 'a fi' and 'a avea'.

Yes, they are used everywhere.

Yes, they have irregular past forms too.

They are similar, but 'a vrea' is more common.

Use them in daily sentences.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

ser/tener

Romanian has more complex stem changes.

French high

être/avoir

Romanian conjugation is more phonetic.

German moderate

sein/haben

German uses different case systems.

Japanese low

desu/aru

Japanese does not conjugate for person.

Arabic low

kana/indahu

Arabic has a completely different root system.

Chinese low

shi/you

Chinese verbs never change form.

Previous
Irregular 'a vrea' (to want)
Next
Memorization Techniques

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Verb 'a fi' (to be)
A1

Daily Routine Verbs
A1

Movement Verbs
A1

Irregular 'a avea' (to have)
A1

Irregular 'a vrea' (to want)
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