a ajunge — to arrive, to reach

A ajunge ("to arrive, to reach") is a high-frequency third-conjugation verb (short infinitive in -e) and your default verb for getting somewhere — reaching a place, a point, a conclusion, even a state. Its present is regular for class III, and its main surprises are the short participle ajuns (the g hardens to s, just as in a mergemers) and the third-person subjunctive să ajungă.

Beyond motion, a ajunge has a second life that English speakers must learn deliberately: it means to suffice, to be enough, almost always used impersonally and with a dative experiencer — îmi ajunge ("it's enough for me"). The bare third-person form Ajunge! has frozen into an everyday interjection meaning "Enough! / Stop it!"

Prezent indicativ

PersonForm
euajung
tuajungi
el / eaajunge
noiajungem
voiajungeți
ei / eleajung
💡
As with every class III verb, the g is hard in ajung / ajung (1sg and 3pl, which are identical) and soft before the front vowels of ajungi and ajunge. The spelling never changes — only the pronunciation of g shifts.

Imperfect

PersonForm
euajungeam
tuajungeai
el / eaajungea
noiajungeam
voiajungeați
ei / eleajungeau

Perfect compus

Auxiliary a avea plus the short participle ajuns.

PersonForm
euam ajuns
tuai ajuns
el / eaa ajuns
noiam ajuns
voiați ajuns
ei / eleau ajuns
💡
English uses "to be" for arrival ("I am arrived" historically, "we have arrived" today). Romanian always uses a avea, and the participle never agrees with the subject: am ajuns, never sunt ajuns or am ajunsă.

Mai-mult-ca-perfectul (pluperfect)

PersonForm
euajunsesem
tuajunseseși
el / eaajunsese
noiajunseserăm
voiajunseserăți
ei / eleajunseseră

Viitor (future)

Personvoi-future (formal)o să-future (informal)
euvoi ajungeo să ajung
tuvei ajungeo să ajungi
el / eava ajungeo să ajungă
noivom ajungeo să ajungem
voiveți ajungeo să ajungeți
ei / elevor ajungeo să ajungă

Conjunctiv prezent

The third person is irregular: să ajungă (the same ending you saw in the future column above).

PersonForm
eusă ajung
tusă ajungi
el / easă ajungă
noisă ajungem
voisă ajungeți
ei / elesă ajungă

Condițional prezent

PersonForm
euaș ajunge
tuai ajunge
el / eaar ajunge
noiam ajunge
voiați ajunge
ei / elear ajunge

Imperativ

The singular is ajunge! (identical to the 3rd-person present, the regular class III pattern for this verb). The plural is ajungeți! The negative singular uses the infinitive: nu ajunge!

TypeSingular (tu)Plural (voi)
Affirmativeajunge!ajungeți!
Negativenu ajunge!nu ajungeți!

Non-finite forms

FormRomanian
Infinitive (short / long)(a) ajunge / ajungere
Gerunziuajungând
Participiuajuns
Supinde ajuns

Usage

The core sense, "to arrive / to get somewhere":

Am ajuns acasă pe la ora opt.

I got home around eight o'clock.

La ce oră ajunge trenul în gară?

What time does the train arrive at the station?

The figurative "to reach a point / a conclusion / a state":

Nu pot să cred că am ajuns la o asemenea concluzie.

I can't believe we reached such a conclusion.

A ajuns un om respectat în orașul lui.

He became a respected man in his town.

The impersonal "to be enough" with a dative experiencer — note îmi, îți, ne before the verb:

Îmi ajunge cât am mâncat, mulțumesc.

What I've eaten is enough for me, thank you.

Banii ăștia nu ne ajung până la sfârșitul lunii.

This money isn't enough for us until the end of the month.

The frozen interjection Ajunge! — sharp, used to tell someone to stop:

Ajunge! Nu mai vreau să aud nimic.

Enough! I don't want to hear anything more.

💡
Keep two constructions apart. With a destination, a ajunge is a normal motion verb and the subject is the traveler: Eu ajung. With the "be enough" sense it is impersonal — the thing that suffices is the grammatical subject, and the person is in the dative: îmi ajunge (literally "to-me it-suffices"). You never say eu ajung to mean "I have enough."

Common Mistakes

❌ Am ajungut târziu.

Incorrect — the participle is the short ajuns, not *ajungut.

✅ Am ajuns târziu.

I arrived late.

❌ Sper să ajung el la timp.

Incorrect — the 3rd-person subjunctive is să ajungă, not să ajung.

✅ Sper să ajungă el la timp.

I hope he arrives on time.

❌ Eu ajung bani pentru chirie.

Incorrect — 'to have enough' is impersonal with a dative: the money ajunge to the person.

✅ Îmi ajung banii pentru chirie.

I have enough money for the rent.

❌ Sunt ajuns acasă.

Incorrect — Romanian forms the perfect with a avea, never a fi.

✅ Am ajuns acasă.

I've arrived home.

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Related Topics

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  • Irregular Conjunctiv: să fie, să aibă, să dea, să steaB1The handful of irregular 3rd-person conjunctiv forms — fie, aibă, dea, stea, știe, ia, bea, vrea — that you must memorize because they are the most frequent verbs in the language.
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