§ "Vreau" vs. "Voi" - Don't Confuse Them!
This is probably the most common mistake English speakers make. Both words sound a bit similar, and in English, 'I want' can sometimes imply a future action, which can lead to confusion with the Romanian future tense. But they are completely different!
- DEFINITION
- Vreau: I want (from the verb "a vrea")
- DEFINITION
- Voi: I will (part of the future tense construction)
Let's look at some examples to clear this up:
Vreau o cafea. (I want a coffee.)
Voi merge la magazin. (I will go to the store.)
§ Using "A Vrea" with Subjunctive Mood
When you want to say "I want to do something," in Romanian, you almost always use "a vrea" followed by "să" and the verb in the subjunctive mood. This is different from English, where we just use the infinitive (to + verb).
Vreau să mănânc. (I want to eat. Literally: I want that I eat.)
A common mistake is to try and directly translate from English, which would sound like this (and is incorrect):
*Vreau a mânca. (Incorrect)
§ Overuse of "Vreau" in Formal Contexts
While "vreau" is perfectly fine in everyday conversations, using it too much in more formal or polite situations can sound a bit direct, almost demanding. Imagine saying "I want coffee!" every time instead of "I'd like some coffee, please."
Here are some alternatives for politeness:
- Aș dori... (I would like...) This is much softer and more polite.
- Doresc... (I wish/desire...) Also a polite alternative, slightly more formal than "aș dori."
Aș dori o cafea, vă rog. (I would like a coffee, please.)
Doresc să rezerv o masă. (I wish to reserve a table.)
§ Forgetting the "A" in "A Vrea"
The infinitive form of the verb is "a vrea." Sometimes learners forget the initial "a." While this isn't a problem when conjugating (e.g., "eu vreau"), it's important for understanding the dictionary form and when talking about the verb itself.
- DEFINITION
- A vrea: To want (infinitive form)
Este important a vrea să înveți. (It is important to want to learn.)
Beispiele nach Niveau
Aș vrea să fiu o sursă de inspirație pentru tineri, arătându-le că perseverența și munca asiduă pot aduce rezultate remarcabile, chiar și atunci când drumul pare anevoios.
I would like to be a source of inspiration for young people, showing them that perseverance and hard work can bring remarkable results, even when the path seems difficult.
Conditional present, expressing a desire; complex sentence structure.
Deși inițial nu am vrut să mă implic în acest proiect, complexitatea și provocările sale m-au atras într-un final, conștientizând potențialul său transformator.
Although initially I did not want to get involved in this project, its complexity and challenges ultimately attracted me, realizing its transformative potential.
Past perfect, expressing a past intention that changed; gerund.
Orice ar vrea să obțină, trebuie să depună eforturi considerabile și să fie dispus să învețe din greșeli, adaptându-se constant la noile circumstanțe.
Whatever they want to achieve, they must make considerable efforts and be willing to learn from mistakes, constantly adapting to new circumstances.
Subjunctive mood, expressing a general desire/goal; present participle.
Nu am vrut să las impresia că sunt indiferent la suferința celor din jur, însă uneori, cuvintele sunt insuficiente pentru a exprima empatia profundă pe care o simt.
I did not want to give the impression that I am indifferent to the suffering of those around me, but sometimes, words are insufficient to express the deep empathy I feel.
Past indefinite, expressing a past intention; use of 'a lăsa impresia'.
Dacă ar fi vrut cu adevărat să participe la eveniment, ar fi găsit o modalitate, indiferent de obstacolele întâmpinate pe parcurs.
If they had truly wanted to participate in the event, they would have found a way, regardless of the obstacles encountered along the way.
Conditional perfect, expressing a hypothetical past desire; past participle.
Am vrut să-mi demonstrez mie însumi că sunt capabil să depășesc orice limită autoimpusă, explorând noi orizonturi și provocându-mi constant zona de confort.
I wanted to prove to myself that I am capable of overcoming any self-imposed limit, exploring new horizons and constantly challenging my comfort zone.
Past indefinite, expressing a past intention; infinitive with 'a demonstra'.
Ceea ce aș vrea să înțelegeți este că fiecare decizie pe care o luăm are un impact semnificativ asupra viitorului nostru, conturând traiectoria existenței noastre.
What I would like you to understand is that every decision we make has a significant impact on our future, shaping the trajectory of our existence.
Conditional present, expressing a desire for understanding; complex relative clause.
Indiferent ce ar vrea destinul să-mi rezerve, sunt pregătit să înfrunt orice provocare cu curaj și determinare, având încredere în propria mea forță interioară.
Whatever destiny wants to reserve for me, I am ready to face any challenge with courage and determination, trusting in my own inner strength.
Subjunctive mood, expressing a future possibility/desire; present participle.
Häufige Kollokationen
Häufige Phrasen
Vreau o cafea.
I want a coffee.
Ce vrei să faci?
What do you want to do?
Nu vreau să merg.
I don't want to go.
El vrea să învețe româna.
He wants to learn Romanian.
Vrem să mâncăm acum.
We want to eat now.
Vreți să veniți cu noi?
Do you all want to come with us?
Ei vor să plece mâine.
They want to leave tomorrow.
Aș vrea să știu.
I would like to know.
Vreau să te ajut.
I want to help you.
Vreau să dorm.
I want to sleep.
Grammatikmuster
Satzmuster
Subject + a vrea (conjugated) + Noun
Eu vreau apă. (I want water.)
Subject + a vrea (conjugated) + să + Verb (subjunctive)
Tu vrei să mănânci. (You want to eat.)
Interrogative + a vrea (conjugated) + Subject + Noun?
Ce vrei tu? (What do you want?)
Subject + nu vrea + Noun
Ea nu vrea nimic. (She doesn't want anything.)
Subject + a vrea (conjugated) + Adverb/Adjective
Noi vrem bine. (We want well/good.)
A vrea (conjugated) + să + Verb (subjunctive) + Object
Vrem să citim o carte. (We want to read a book.)
A vrea (conjugated) + a merge + Location
Vreți să mergeți acasă? (Do you want to go home?)
Subject + a vrea (conjugated) + Pronoun
Ei vor asta. (They want that.)
Teste dich selbst 42 Fragen
This sentence means 'I want a coffee.' The standard word order in Romanian is Subject-Verb-Object.
This sentence means 'Do you want water?' The subject 'Tu' (you) comes before the verb 'vrei' (want).
This sentence means 'He wants a tea.' The pronoun 'El' (he) is followed by the conjugated verb 'vrea' (wants) and then the object 'un ceai' (a tea).
Eu ___ (a vrea) să beau o cafea.
For 'eu' (I), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vreau'.
Tu ___ (a vrea) să mergi la film?
For 'tu' (you singular), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vrei'.
El/Ea ___ (a vrea) să învețe română.
For 'el' (he) or 'ea' (she), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vrea'.
Noi ___ (a vrea) să mâncăm pizza.
For 'noi' (we), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vrem'.
Voi ___ (a vrea) să vizitați România?
For 'voi' (you plural), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vreți'.
Ei/Ele ___ (a vrea) să citească o carte.
For 'ei' (they masculine) or 'ele' (they feminine), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vor'.
Choose the correct form of 'a vrea' to complete the sentence: 'Noi ___ să mergem la munte.'
For 'noi' (we), the correct conjugation of 'a vrea' is 'vrem'.
Which sentence correctly uses 'a vrea' to express a polite request?
'Ați vrea' is the plural/formal 'you would like' and is used for polite requests.
Select the sentence where 'a vrea' indicates a future intention.
'Vor' is the future tense of 'a vrea' when used with 'ei' (they), indicating a future intention.
The sentence 'Vrei să vii cu mine?' means 'Do you want to come with me?'.
'Vrei' is the informal 'you want', and 'să vii cu mine' translates to 'to come with me'.
In Romanian, 'a vrea' can only be used to express a strong desire, not a simple preference.
'A vrea' can express both strong desires and simple preferences, depending on the context.
The past tense of 'a vrea' is 'am vrut'.
'Am vrut' is the correct past compound tense (perfect compus) of 'a vrea' for 'I wanted'.
Listen for what the speaker wants to eat.
Listen to find out if the speaker wants to go to the cinema.
Listen for what 'ei' (they) want to learn.
Read this aloud:
Vreau o cafea, te rog.
Focus: Vreau
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Ce vrei să faci astăzi?
Focus: vrei
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Vrem să vizităm Sibiul.
Focus: Vrem
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Eu ___ să învăț română pentru că vreau să călătoresc.
The verb 'a vrea' conjugates as 'vreau' for the first person singular (eu).
Tu ___ să mergi la film deseară?
For the second person singular (tu), the correct form of 'a vrea' is 'vrei'.
El/Ea ___ o cafea cu lapte, te rog.
The third person singular (el/ea) takes the form 'vrea'.
Noi ___ să vizităm Castelul Bran în weekend.
The first person plural (noi) uses the form 'vrem'.
Voi ___ să mâncați pizza sau paste la cină?
For the second person plural (voi), the correct conjugation is 'vreți'.
Ei/Ele ___ să plece mai devreme astăzi.
The third person plural (ei/ele) conjugates as 'vor'. This form is often used with 'a vrea' to indicate future intention.
This sentence expresses a desire to go to the seaside this summer. 'Vrea' (he/she wants) is followed by 'să' (to) and the subjunctive form of the verb 'meargă' (go).
This sentence means 'We want to learn more Romanian.' 'Vrem' is the first person plural of 'a vrea'.
This sentence translates to 'They don't want to come to the party.' 'Vor' is the third person plural of 'a vrea', and 'nu' negates the verb.
The speaker expresses a desire to go to Romania.
The sentence discusses a hypothetical situation about learning and effort.
A proposal for collaboration is being made.
Read this aloud:
Nu aș vrea să par nepoliticos, dar aș prefera să discutăm acest aspect mai târziu.
Focus: aș vrea, aș prefera
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Chiar dacă ar vrea să te ajute, circumstanțele actuale nu-i permit.
Focus: chiar dacă ar vrea, nu-i permit
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Dacă ar vrea o schimbare, ar trebui să acționeze acum, nu să aștepte.
Focus: dacă ar vrea, ar trebui să acționeze
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
Verwandte Inhalte
Mehr general Wörter
A avea
A1Verb indicating possession or necessity; to have.
A fi
A1The most common auxiliary and copular verb; to be.
Acela
A1Used to identify a distant person or thing; that.
Acesta
A1Used to identify a nearby person or thing; this.
Acolo
A1In or at that place; there.
Acum
A1At the present time; now.
Aici
A1In or at this place; here.
An
A1The period of 365 days; year.
Azi
A1On the current day; today.
Bine
A1In a satisfactory or good way; well.
