Descriptive Past
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the Descriptive Past to paint a picture of ongoing actions or habits in the past.
- Use it for actions that were happening over a period of time: 'Eram acasă' (I was at home).
- Use it for repeated habits in the past: 'Mergeam la școală zilnic' (I went to school daily).
- Use it to set the scene for a sudden event: 'Citeam când a sunat telefonul' (I was reading when the phone rang).
Meanings
The Descriptive Past (Imperfectul) describes continuous, habitual, or background actions that occurred in the past.
Ongoing Action
Actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
“Citeam o carte.”
“Copiii se jucau în parc.”
Habitual Past
Actions that happened repeatedly over a period of time.
“Mergeam la mare în fiecare vară.”
“Veneam mereu la timp.”
State of Being
Describing feelings, physical states, or characteristics in the past.
“Eram fericit.”
“Aveam zece ani.”
Imperfect Conjugation (A lucra - to work)
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (Eu/Noi) | lucram | lucram |
| 2nd (Tu/Voi) | lucrai | lucrați |
| 3rd (El/Ei) | lucra | lucrau |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Verb-stem + ending | Lucram |
| Negative | Nu + Verb-stem + ending | Nu lucram |
| Interrogative | Verb-stem + ending + ? | Lucrai? |
| 1st Person Sing | Stem + -am | Eram |
| 2nd Person Sing | Stem + -ai | Erai |
| 3rd Person Sing | Stem + -a | Era |
| 1st Person Plur | Stem + -am | Eram |
| 2nd Person Plur | Stem + -ați | Erați |
| 3rd Person Plur | Stem + -au | Erau |
Spectre de formalité
Lucram la acel proiect. (Work environment)
Lucram la proiect. (Work environment)
Lucram la treabă. (Work environment)
Mă rupeam la muncă. (Work environment)
Usage of Imperfectul
Habit
- Mergeam I used to go
State
- Eram I was
Process
- Citeam I was reading
Imperfect vs Perfect
When to use Imperfect
Is it a habit?
Is it a process?
Examples by Level
Eram acasă.
I was at home.
Mâncam pizza.
I was eating pizza.
Eram fericit.
I was happy.
Nu știam.
I didn't know.
Mergeam la școală zilnic.
I went to school daily.
Ploua afară.
It was raining outside.
Ei se jucau.
They were playing.
Aveam o mașină.
I had a car.
Citeam când a sunat telefonul.
I was reading when the phone rang.
În timp ce găteam, ascultam muzică.
While I was cooking, I was listening to music.
Eram obosit pentru că lucram mult.
I was tired because I was working a lot.
Veneam mereu la timp.
I always arrived on time.
Pe când locuiam în București, mergeam des la teatru.
When I was living in Bucharest, I often went to the theater.
Ea se uita pe fereastră, așteptând un semn.
She was looking out the window, waiting for a sign.
Nu realizam cât de important era momentul.
I didn't realize how important the moment was.
Toată lumea vorbea despre schimbare.
Everyone was talking about the change.
Îmi aminteam cu drag de anii în care studiam la facultate.
I remembered fondly the years when I was studying at university.
În acea perioadă, totul părea posibil.
In that period, everything seemed possible.
Deși ploua torențial, noi continuam să mergem.
Although it was raining heavily, we continued to walk.
Ea nu știa că, în timp ce vorbea, el pleca deja.
She didn't know that, while she was speaking, he was already leaving.
Se spunea că în acele vremuri oamenii trăiau în armonie.
It was said that in those times people lived in harmony.
Eram pe punctul de a pleca când am realizat că uitam ceva.
I was on the point of leaving when I realized I was forgetting something.
Nu era vorba doar despre bani, ci despre ce simțeam.
It wasn't just about money, but about what I was feeling.
În timp ce el scria, ea privea cum se cernea zăpada.
While he was writing, she was watching how the snow was falling.
Easily Confused
Learners use Perfect for everything.
Both are past tenses.
Both translate to 'I was'.
Erreurs courantes
Am eram
Eram
Eu lucra
Eu lucram
Eram la magazin ieri.
Am fost la magazin ieri.
Eu mânca.
Eu mâncam.
Ei lucra.
Ei lucrau.
Tu lucram.
Tu lucrai.
Eram mâncat.
Mâncam.
Când am ajuns, el a dormit.
Când am ajuns, el dormea.
În fiecare zi am mers la sală.
În fiecare zi mergeam la sală.
Era plouând.
Ploua.
Dacă știam, veneam.
Dacă aș fi știut, aș fi venit.
El a fost vorbind.
El vorbea.
Pe când am fost copil.
Pe când eram copil.
Sentence Patterns
Când eram ___, făceam ___.
În timp ce ___, ploua.
Obișnuiam să ___ în fiecare vară.
Eram ___ pentru că ___.
Real World Usage
Eram la mare când am văzut asta!
Ce făceai?
Gestionam o echipă de 5 oameni.
Hotelul era foarte frumos.
Așteptam comanda de o oră.
Era o zi frumoasă de vară.
Focus on the 'Video'
Don't over-use
The 'Eram' trick
Politeness
Smart Tips
Use the Imperfect to paint the background.
Use the Imperfect for 'used to'.
If it's a state of mind, use Eram.
Use Imperfect for the 'while' clause.
Prononciation
Endings
The 'u' in -au is often silent or very soft.
Stress
Stress usually falls on the last syllable of the stem.
Statement
Eram acasă. ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
Question
Erai acasă? ↗
Rising intonation for confirmation.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember the 'M-A' sound: Imperfect is the 'M-A' tense for 'M-A-king' things last.
Visual Association
Imagine a film projector playing a scene in slow motion. The film is the Imperfect tense, stretching out the action.
Rhyme
For habits and states that you used to do, add -am, -ai, -a, -am, -ați, -au.
Story
Yesterday, I was walking (mergeam) to the park. The sun was shining (strălucea). I was feeling (mă simțeam) happy because I was meeting (mă întâlneam) a friend.
Word Web
Défi
Write 3 sentences about what you were doing at 8 PM last night.
Notes culturelles
People often use the Imperfect to sound more polite when asking for things.
The Imperfect is used very frequently in storytelling.
Urban slang often shortens the endings in casual speech.
The Romanian Imperfect comes directly from the Latin imperfect indicative (e.g., amabam).
Conversation Starters
Ce făceai ieri la ora 5?
Cum era vremea când erai mic?
Ce obișnuiai să mănânci în copilărie?
Unde locuiai acum 5 ani?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Eu ___ (a lucra) la proiect.
În fiecare zi ___ (a merge) la școală.
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu am eram la magazin.
Citeam o carte. -> ?
A: Ce făceai? B: ___.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
acasă / eram / eu / când / ploua
Ei ___ (a vorbi).
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesEu ___ (a lucra) la proiect.
În fiecare zi ___ (a merge) la școală.
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu am eram la magazin.
Citeam o carte. -> ?
A: Ce făceai? B: ___.
Eram, Mergeam, Lucram
acasă / eram / eu / când / ploua
Ei ___ (a vorbi).
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Eram is for states (I was happy). Am fost is for events (I was at the store).
No, that is what the Perfect tense is for.
No, the endings are very regular.
No, the verb ending tells you who is doing the action.
Use it to set the scene or describe the background.
Yes, 'a fi' (to be) is the most important one.
No, it is strictly for the past.
Because it describes the background of a story.
In Other Languages
Pretérito Imperfecto
Spanish has two distinct imperfect endings (-aba, -ía), while Romanian is more unified.
Imparfait
French requires a subject pronoun, whereas Romanian often drops it.
Präteritum
German does not distinguish aspect as clearly as Romanian.
Te-form + ita
Japanese is agglutinative; Romanian is inflectional.
Kana + Imperfect verb
Arabic uses a helper verb; Romanian uses a single conjugated verb.
Zai + Verb + Le
Chinese verbs do not conjugate for person or tense.
