A2 Verb Tenses 6 min read Leicht

Imperfectul Formation

Use the imperfect to describe the background, habits, or continuous states of your past story.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the Imperfect to describe ongoing actions or habits in the past, like saying 'I was doing' or 'I used to do'.

  • Add suffixes like -am, -ai, -a to the stem for -a verbs (e.g., lucram).
  • Use -eam, -eai, -ea for -ea and -e verbs (e.g., vedeam).
  • Use -iam, -iai, -ia for -i and -î verbs (e.g., citeam).
Verb Stem + Imperfect Suffix + Personal Ending

Overview

Welcome to the most nostalgic tense in the Romanian language. Think of the imperfect as your personal time machine. It does not just tell what happened.
It shows you how things were. If the past was a movie, this tense is the background music. It describes ongoing actions or habits from long ago.
You will use it to paint pictures with words. It is the used to or was doing of Romanian. It feels soft, continuous, and descriptive.
It is not about the finish line. It is about the journey. You use it when the clock does not matter.
It is perfect for storytelling and sharing memories. Let's dive into how to build this beautiful tense.

How This Grammar Works

Most past tenses in Romanian focus on the end. They tell us an action is over. The imperfect is different.
It focuses on the duration. It treats the past like a wide-angle lens. You are not looking at a single point in time.
You are looking at a whole scene. Imagine you are describing your childhood. You did not just live in a house for one second.
You locuiai (were living) there for years. The imperfect stays in the moment. It keeps the action alive while you talk.
It is very regular, which is a relief. Unlike other tenses, it rarely surprises you with weird changes. It is the steady heartbeat of Romanian storytelling.

Formation Pattern

1
Creating the imperfect is like following a simple recipe. You need the verb stem and a specific ending.
2
First, look at the infinitive of the verb.
3
Remove the final vowel to find the stem.
4
Add the imperfect endings based on the verb group.
5
For -a verbs like a lucra (to work):
6
Add -am, -ai, -a, -am, -ați, -au.
7
Example: eu lucram, tu lucrai, el lucra.
8
For -ea and -e verbs like a vedea (to see) or a merge (to go):
9
Add -eam, -eai, -ea, -eam, -eați, -eau.
10
Example: eu mergeam, tu mergeai, el mergea.
11
For -i verbs like a citi (to read):
12
Add -eam, -eai, -ea, -eam, -eați, -eau.
13
Example: eu citeam, tu citeai, el citea.
14
For -î verbs like a coborî (to descend):
15
Add -am, -ai, -a, -am, -ați, -au.
16
Example: eu coboram, tu coborai, el cobora.
17
Yes, the endings for -ea, -e, and -i are identical. This makes your life much easier! Even the verb a fi (to be) is regular here: eu eram (I was).

When To Use It

Use this tense when you want to describe a scene. Imagine you are at a job interview. You describe your previous responsibilities.
I gestionam (was managing) the team every day.
Use it for habits.
In college, I beam (used to drink) five coffees daily.
It is the go-to tense for weather in the past.
Ploua (it was raining) when I left the office.
Use it for physical or mental states.
I aveam (had) a headache yesterday.
It is also great for simultaneous actions.
While I găteam (was cooking), he citea (was reading).
Think of it as setting the stage for a story. It provides the context before the main action happens.
It is the long past.

When Not To Use It

Do not use the imperfect for quick, finished actions. If you just bought a sandwich, do not use it. That is a job for perfectul compus.
If an action happened once and ended, skip the imperfect.
Yesterday I am mâncat (ate) a pizza.
Using the imperfect here would sound like you were eating it forever. Do not use it for specific sequences of events.
If you say
I woke up, brushed my teeth, and left,
use the short past. The imperfect is too slow for a fast-paced list of actions. It is like trying to run a marathon in slow motion.
It just feels wrong to native ears.

Common Mistakes

One big mistake is using the wrong stem. For -i verbs, people often forget the e in -eam. They say citam instead of citeam. It sounds like a grammar glitch. Another trap is the third person plural. For -a verbs, it ends in -au. For others, it ends in -eau. Do not mix them up! A very common error is using imperfect for a single event. If you say Eram la magazin ieri (I was at the store), it implies a long duration. If you just popped in, use Am fost. Even native speakers sometimes use imperfect for politeness. But as a learner, stick to the duration rule first. Avoid overusing it in a fast story.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

The main rival is perfectul compus. Think of perfectul compus as a camera flash. It is bright, quick, and finished. Think of imperfectul as a candle. It burns steadily for a long time.
  • Am scris means
    I wrote it (it is done).
  • Scriam means "I was writing (maybe I didn't finish)."
In English, we have I was walking and
I used to walk.
In Romanian, both are just mergeam. This makes Romanian simpler than English here! If you want to say
I used to play guitar,
use imperfect.
If you want to say
I was playing guitar when the phone rang,
use imperfect. It covers both used to and was doing perfectly.

Quick FAQ

Q

Is a fi irregular in the imperfect?

No, it is actually very regular: eu eram, tu erai.

Q

Can I use it for the weather?

Yes, it is the best tense for describing weather in the past.

Q

How do I say I used to?

Just use the imperfect form of the verb.

Q

Is it used in formal writing?

Absolutely, it is essential for literature and reports.

Q

Does it have many exceptions?

Very few! It is one of the most stable tenses in Romanian.

Q

Can I use it for an interrupted action?

Yes! Use it for the action that was already happening.

Meanings

The Imperfect is used to describe continuous, repeated, or habitual actions that occurred in the past.

1

Ongoing action

Actions that were in progress at a specific past time.

“Eram în casă când a început ploaia.”

“Ea citea o carte în timp ce eu găteam.”

2

Habitual action

Actions that happened repeatedly in the past.

“În fiecare vară mergeam la mare.”

“El fuma mult pe atunci.”

3

Descriptive state

Describing past states, feelings, or physical characteristics.

“Ea era foarte frumoasă.”

“Vremea era superbă.”

Imperfect Conjugation Patterns

Pronoun -a (lucra) -ea (vedea) -i (citi)
Eu lucram vedeam citeam
Tu lucrai vedeai citeai
El/Ea lucra vedea citea
Noi lucram vedeam citeam
Voi lucrați vedeați citeați
Ei/Ele lucrau vedeau citeau

Reference Table

Reference table for Imperfectul Formation
Infinitive Group Ending Suffix Example (Eu) English Translation
-a (a lucra) -am lucram I was working / used to work
-ea (a vedea) -eam vedeam I was seeing / used to see
-e (a merge) -eam mergeam I was going / used to go
-i (a citi) -eam citeam I was reading / used to read
-î (a coborî) -am coboram I was descending
a fi (to be) er- + endings eram I was / used to be
a avea (to have) ave- + endings aveam I had / used to have

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Lucram la proiectul respectiv.

Lucram la proiectul respectiv. (Work)

Neutral
Lucram la proiect.

Lucram la proiect. (Work)

Informell
Lucram la chestia aia.

Lucram la chestia aia. (Work)

Umgangssprache
Mă rupeam la muncă.

Mă rupeam la muncă. (Work)

When to Use Imperfectul

Imperfectul

Descriptions

  • Vremea Weather
  • Aspectul Appearance

Habits

  • Copilăria Childhood
  • Rutina Routine

Imperfect vs. Perfect Compus

Imperfectul (The Video)
Mâncam I was eating
Era soare It was sunny
Perfect Compus (The Photo)
Am mâncat I ate
A ieșit soarele The sun came out

Choosing the Right Ending

1

Does the infinitive end in -a or -î?

YES ↓
NO
Use -eam, -eai, -ea...
2

Is the subject 'Eu'?

YES ↓
NO
Use -ai, -a, -ați...
3

Add -am to the stem

YES ↓
NO
Done!

Verb Group Endings

🅰️

Group -a / -î

  • • -am
  • • -ai
  • • -a
ℹ️

Group -e / -ea / -i

  • • -eam
  • • -eai
  • • -ea
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Examples by Level

1

Eu lucram.

I was working.

2

Ea citea.

She was reading.

3

Noi mâncam.

We were eating.

4

Ei dormeau.

They were sleeping.

1

Când eram mic, mergeam la bunici.

When I was little, I used to go to my grandparents.

2

Eram obosit, așa că nu lucram.

I was tired, so I wasn't working.

3

Ce făceai ieri la ora 5?

What were you doing yesterday at 5?

4

Ea se uita la televizor.

She was watching TV.

1

În timp ce scriam, a sunat telefonul.

While I was writing, the phone rang.

2

Eram sigură că știai adevărul.

I was sure you knew the truth.

3

Vremea era superbă în acea zi.

The weather was superb that day.

4

Ne vedeam des la facultate.

We used to see each other often at university.

1

Dacă știam că vii, pregăteam ceva de mâncare.

If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared something to eat.

2

Se spunea că era un om foarte bogat.

It was said that he was a very rich man.

3

În acea perioadă, el locuia în București.

During that period, he was living in Bucharest.

4

Eram pe punctul de a pleca când ai apărut.

I was about to leave when you appeared.

1

Îmi doream să fi fost acolo.

I wished I had been there.

2

Pe vremea aceea, totul părea mai simplu.

Back then, everything seemed simpler.

3

Eram cât pe ce să uit programarea.

I was almost about to forget the appointment.

4

Se plimba agale, pierdut în gânduri.

He was walking slowly, lost in thought.

1

Eram să cad, dar m-am ținut de balustradă.

I was about to fall, but I held onto the railing.

2

Se zicea că în acele vremuri, oamenii trăiau altfel.

It was said that in those times, people lived differently.

3

Dacă tot eram acolo, am decis să vizitez și muzeul.

Since I was already there, I decided to visit the museum too.

4

Eram încredințat că totul se va termina cu bine.

I was convinced that everything would end well.

Easily Confused

Imperfectul Formation vs. Imperfect vs Perfectul Compus

Learners often use Perfect for ongoing actions.

Imperfectul Formation vs. Imperfect vs Mai Mult Ca Perfect

Mixing up past-in-past with simple past.

Imperfectul Formation vs. Imperfect vs Conditional

Both use similar stems.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Am lucram

✓

Lucram

Don't combine auxiliary 'am' with Imperfect.
✗

Eu lucra

✓

Eu lucram

Wrong person ending.
✗

Nu lucra eu

✓

Eu nu lucram

Wrong word order.
✗

Lucram ieri la 5

✓

Lucram ieri la ora 5

Missing 'ora' for time.
✗

Am fost mergeam

✓

Mergeam

Double verb error.
✗

Ei lucra

✓

Ei lucrau

Plural ending missing.
✗

Eu citea

✓

Eu citeam

Wrong conjugation.
✗

Dacă aș știam

✓

Dacă aș fi știut

Wrong tense in conditional.
✗

Când am ajuns, el pleca

✓

Când am ajuns, el plecase

Should be Pluperfect.
✗

Eram mâncat

✓

Mâncam

Passive voice error.
✗

Se zicea că el a fost bolnav

✓

Se zicea că era bolnav

Tense sequence error.
✗

Eram să plec

✓

Eram pe cale să plec

Idiomatic error.
✗

Dacă știam, veneam

✓

Dacă aș fi știut, aș fi venit

Conditional sequence.
✗

Se spunea că el a lucrat

✓

Se spunea că lucra

Reported speech tense shift.

Sentence Patterns

Când eram ___, ___.

În timp ce ___, ___.

Obișnuiam să ___ în fiecare ___.

Dacă ___ că ___, ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Eram pe drum când ai scris.

Social Media very common

Ne simțeam minunat la mare!

Job Interview common

La fostul loc de muncă, gestionam echipe mari.

Travel common

Mă plimbam prin centrul vechi.

Food Delivery occasional

Așteptam comanda de o oră.

Storytelling very common

Era o dată ca niciodată...

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💡

The 'Used To' Test

If you can translate a sentence using 'used to' or 'was ...ing' in English, you almost certainly need the imperfect in Romanian.
⚠️

Don't Forget the 'E'

For verbs ending in -i like 'a citi', the ending is '-eam', not '-am'. Saying 'citam' is a very common learner mistake!
🎯

The Storyteller's Secret

Use imperfect to describe the scene (the room, the weather, your feelings) and perfect compus for the things that actually happened.
💬

Nostalgia is Key

Romanians love using the imperfect to talk about 'vremea de demult' (the old times). It adds a warm, emotional touch to your stories.

Smart Tips

Use Imperfect for the background, Perfect for the action.

Am citit când a sunat telefonul. → Citeam când a sunat telefonul.

Use Imperfect for all habits.

Am mers la bunici. → Mergeam la bunici.

Use Imperfect for feelings.

Am fost obosit. → Eram obosit.

Always keep 'nu' attached to the verb.

Lucram nu. → Nu lucram.

Aussprache

lu-CRAM

Stress

The stress is usually on the penultimate syllable.

Statement

Eu lucram. ↘

Falling intonation for declarative sentences.

Question

Lucrai? ↗

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember 'Imperfect' as 'In-Progress'. If it was happening, use the Imperfect.

Visual Association

Imagine a film projector in your head. When you use the Imperfect, you are playing a video clip of the past, not just showing a static photo.

Rhyme

For the past that was long, Imperfect is never wrong.

Story

Yesterday, I was walking (mă plimbam) in the park. The sun was shining (strălucea). I was feeling (mă simțeam) happy. Suddenly, a dog barked (a lătrat - Perfect!).

Word Web

eramfăceamaveamștiammergeamvorbeam

Herausforderung

Write 3 sentences about what you were doing yesterday at 8 PM.

Kulturelle Hinweise

The Imperfect is heavily used in storytelling and oral history, reflecting the importance of narrative in Romanian culture.

Regional speakers might use slightly different intonation, but the grammar remains standard.

Younger generations often use the Imperfect in texting to describe their current state of mind.

Derived from the Latin imperfectum.

Conversation Starters

“

Ce făceai ieri la ora 8?

“

Cum era vremea în copilăria ta?

“

Ce obișnuiai să faci în weekend?

“

Dacă știai că va ploua, ce făceai?

Journal Prompts

Descrie ce făceai într-o zi obișnuită de școală.
Cum te simțeai în vacanța de vară de anul trecut?
Povestește despre un obicei pe care îl aveai și nu îl mai ai.
Dacă ai fi putut schimba ceva în trecut, ce făceai diferit?
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Test Yourself

Choose the correct imperfect form for 'a lucra' (to work) for the pronoun 'noi'.

Anul trecut, noi ___ la un proiect mare.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lucram
The ending for 'noi' in the imperfect for -a verbs is '-am'. 'Lucram' is the correct form.
Complete the sentence describing a past state using 'a fi'.

Când erai student, ___ mereu obosit.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: erai
The 'tu' form of 'a fi' in the imperfect is 'erai'.
Select the correct form for an ongoing action interrupted by another.

Eu ___ (a citi) când a sunat telefonul.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: citeam
We use the imperfect 'citeam' because the reading was an ongoing background action.

Score: /3

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Conjugate the verb in brackets.

Eu ___ (a lucra) în fiecare zi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lucram
First person singular Imperfect.
Select the correct tense. Multiple Choice

Când ___ (eram/am fost) mic, îmi plăcea înghețata.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: eram
Describing a past state.
Find the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Eu am mergeam la școală.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: mergeam
Remove the auxiliary 'am'.
Change to negative. Sentence Transformation

Ea citea o carte.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ea nu citea o carte
Place 'nu' before the verb.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ce făceai? B: ___ (Eu/a citi).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Citeam
Matching the tense of the question.
Order the words. Sentence Building

eram / când / mic / mergeam / la / bunici

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Toate sunt corecte
Word order is flexible.
Conjugate 'a vedea' (tu). Conjugation Drill

Tu ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vedeai
Second person singular Imperfect.
Match the verb with its Imperfect form. Match Pairs

A lucra -> ?, A citi -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lucram, citeam
Correct 1st person singular.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, use Perfectul Compus for single, completed actions.

It is one of the easiest tenses due to consistent endings.

Always before the verb.

No, the endings are the same for all genders.

Yes, it is essential for descriptive passages.

It's very similar, but also covers 'used to'.

Very few, mostly 'a fi' (eram).

Yes, constantly.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Imperfecto

Endings differ, but the logic is identical.

French high

Imparfait

French has more irregular stems than Romanian.

German moderate

Präteritum

German doesn't distinguish aspect as clearly as Romanian.

Japanese partial

Te-iru past

Japanese is agglutinative; Romanian is inflectional.

Arabic moderate

Kana + Imperfect

Arabic uses a two-word construction.

Chinese low

Zai + verb + le

Chinese has no conjugation.

Next
Imperfect vs Perfect

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