A merge ("to go, to walk") is one of the most useful verbs in the language and a clean model for the third conjugation (short infinitive in -e: a merge). Its present is fully regular for its class, and its only real surprises are the participle mers (short, with the g turning to s) and the third-person subjunctive să meargă, where the stem vowel breaks to the diphthong ea. Learn this verb well and you have a template for dozens of other -ge verbs.
There is a second meaning English speakers should lock in early: beyond "to go/walk," a merge is the everyday verb for things working or functioning — a phone, a plan, an engine, a relationship. Merge bine can mean "it's going well" or "it works fine," and Romanians use it constantly in that sense.
Prezent indicativ
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | merg |
| tu | mergi |
| el / ea | merge |
| noi | mergem |
| voi | mergeți |
| ei / ele | merg |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | mergeam |
| tu | mergeai |
| el / ea | mergea |
| noi | mergeam |
| voi | mergeați |
| ei / ele | mergeau |
Perfect compus
Auxiliary a avea plus the short participle mers.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | am mers |
| tu | ai mers |
| el / ea | a mers |
| noi | am mers |
| voi | ați mers |
| ei / ele | au mers |
Mai-mult-ca-perfectul (pluperfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | mersesem |
| tu | merseseși |
| el / ea | mersese |
| noi | merseserăm |
| voi | merseserăți |
| ei / ele | merseseră |
Viitor (future)
| Person | voi-future (formal) | o să-future (informal) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | voi merge | o să merg |
| tu | vei merge | o să mergi |
| el / ea | va merge | o să meargă |
| noi | vom merge | o să mergem |
| voi | veți merge | o să mergeți |
| ei / ele | vor merge | o să meargă |
Conjunctiv prezent
The third person is irregular, with the stem-vowel break to ea: să meargă.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | să merg |
| tu | să mergi |
| el / ea | să meargă |
| noi | să mergem |
| voi | să mergeți |
| ei / ele | să meargă |
Condițional prezent
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aș merge |
| tu | ai merge |
| el / ea | ar merge |
| noi | am merge |
| voi | ați merge |
| ei / ele | ar merge |
Imperativ
The singular imperative is mergi! (identical to the 2nd-person present). The plural is mergeți! The negative singular uses the infinitive: nu merge!
| Type | Singular (tu) | Plural (voi) |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | mergi! | mergeți! |
| Negative | nu merge! | nu mergeți! |
Non-finite forms
| Form | Romanian |
|---|---|
| Infinitive (short / long) | (a) merge / mergere |
| Gerunziu | mergând |
| Participiu | mers |
| Supin | de mers |
Usage
The core motion sense, "to go" (often equivalent to taking a means of transport) and "to walk":
Merg la școală pe jos în fiecare dimineață.
I walk to school every morning.
Mergem cu trenul sau cu mașina?
Are we going by train or by car?
The first-person plural as a casual suggestion, "shall we go?":
Mergem? S-a făcut târziu.
Shall we go? It's gotten late.
The "work / function" sense — phones, plans, machines:
Nu-mi merge internetul de azi-dimineață.
My internet hasn't been working since this morning.
Mașina veche merge încă foarte bine.
The old car still runs very well.
The set phrase cum merge? asking how things are going:
Cum merge cu noul job?
How's it going with the new job?
The impersonal merge / nu merge for "that works / that doesn't work" as a judgment:
Așa nu merge, trebuie să găsim altă soluție.
That won't work, we have to find another solution.
The subjunctive after a wish, showing să meargă:
Sper să meargă totul bine la examen.
I hope everything goes well at the exam.
Common Mistakes
❌ Am mergut la magazin.
Incorrect — the participle is the short mers, not *mergut.
✅ Am mers la magazin.
I went to the shop.
❌ Vreau să merge cu voi.
Incorrect — the 3rd-person subjunctive is meargă; and after 'vreau' the subject here is 'eu', so it should be să merg.
✅ Vreau să merg cu voi.
I want to go with you.
❌ Sper să mergă bine.
Incorrect — the 3rd-person subjunctive breaks the vowel: meargă, not *mergă.
✅ Sper să meargă bine.
I hope it goes well.
❌ Telefonul meu nu lucrează.
Incorrect — for a device 'not working', Romanian uses a merge, not a lucra (which is for people working).
✅ Telefonul meu nu merge.
My phone isn't working.
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