A primi means to receive and, by a natural extension, to welcome or to host. It is a high-frequency A2 verb and a model of the fourth conjugation -esc class — infinitives in -i that take the -esc infix in the present and subjunctive, parallel to the -ez infix of the first conjugation. Sister verbs like a citi, a iubi, a vorbi (the -esc subtype) follow the same shape.
The infix -esc-/-eșt-/-easc- shows up in the three singular persons and the 3pl (primesc, primești, primește, primesc) and drops out in noi and voi, where you get plain primim, primiți. It also vanishes outside the present and subjunctive: the imperfect is primeam (no infix), the participle primit. The two errors this page targets are primescem (keeping the infix in the plural) and primescam (keeping it in the imperfect).
Prezent indicativ
The infix appears in primesc, primești, primește, primesc and drops in primim, primiți. The 1sg and 3pl are identical (primesc), as is standard for -esc verbs.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | primesc |
| tu | primești |
| el / ea | primește |
| noi | primim |
| voi | primiți |
| ei / ele | primesc |
Primesc salariul pe data de cincisprezece.
I get my salary on the fifteenth.
Primești des colete de la ei?
Do you receive packages from them often?
Imperfect
No infix anywhere. Built on the stem prime- with the Class IV imperfect ending → primeam.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | primeam |
| tu | primeai |
| el / ea | primea |
| noi | primeam |
| voi | primeați |
| ei / ele | primeau |
Pe vremea aceea primeam scrisori în fiecare săptămână.
In those days I used to get letters every week.
Perfect compus
Auxiliary a avea plus the regular Class IV participle primit.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | am primit |
| tu | ai primit |
| el / ea | a primit |
| noi | am primit |
| voi | ați primit |
| ei / ele | au primit |
Am primit un cadou frumos de ziua mea.
I got a lovely gift for my birthday.
Mai-mult-ca-perfectul
Synthetic pluperfect on the participle stem primis-.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | primisem |
| tu | primiseși |
| el / ea | primise |
| noi | primiserăm |
| voi | primiserăți |
| ei / ele | primiseră |
Primisem deja vestea când m-a sunat să-mi spună.
I had already received the news when she called to tell me.
Viitor
| Person | Viitor (voi-form, formal) | Colloquial (o să) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | voi primi | o să primesc |
| tu | vei primi | o să primești |
| el / ea | va primi | o să primească |
| noi | vom primi | o să primim |
| voi | veți primi | o să primiți |
| ei / ele | vor primi | o să primească |
O să primești un mesaj de confirmare pe email.
You'll get a confirmation message by email.
Conjunctiv prezent
The infix returns, and the 3rd person shape is (să) primească — with the -easc- form that is the -esc class's subjunctive signature, distinct from the indicative primește.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | să primesc |
| tu | să primești |
| el / ea | să primească |
| noi | să primim |
| voi | să primiți |
| ei / ele | să primească |
Sper să primesc un răspuns până mâine.
I hope to get an answer by tomorrow.
Condițional prezent
Conditional auxiliary plus the short infinitive primi.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aș primi |
| tu | ai primi |
| el / ea | ar primi |
| noi | am primi |
| voi | ați primi |
| ei / ele | ar primi |
Aș primi cu plăcere o invitație, dacă mai e loc.
I'd gladly accept an invitation, if there's still room.
Imperativ
The affirmative singular primește! matches the 3sg present; the plural is primiți! The negative singular uses the infinitive: nu primi! With a clitic: primește-l ("receive him / accept it").
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| tu (sg.) | primește! | nu primi! |
| voi (pl.) | primiți! | nu primiți! |
Primește-l cu drag, e prima dată când vine la noi.
Welcome him warmly, it's the first time he's coming to us.
Forme nepersonale
The gerund primind has no infix and no special vowel. The supine de primit appears in things like am ceva de primit de la ei ("I have something to collect from them").
| Form | Romanian |
|---|---|
| Infinitiv | (a) primi |
| Gerunziu | primind |
| Participiu | primit |
| Supin | de primit |
Usage
A primi is transitive and covers a wide field. Its core sense is to receive — money, gifts, mail, news, a grade: a primi un cadou, salariul, o veste, o notă. By extension it means to welcome / host / take in guests: a primi musafiri / oaspeți ("to have/host guests"), and to accept / admit: a primi pe cineva la facultate ("to admit someone to university"), a primi o invitație ("to accept an invitation"). The polite primește! / primiți! is also how you offer someone a seat or a gift ("here, take this").
Am primit un cadou de la colegi.
I got a gift from my colleagues.
Duminică primim musafiri, vin nepoții.
On Sunday we're having guests, the grandchildren are coming.
A fost primit la medicină din prima încercare.
He was admitted to medical school on the first try.
Primind atâtea reclamații, firma a schimbat regulile.
Having received so many complaints, the company changed the rules.
Nu am primit încă răspuns la cerere.
I haven't received an answer to the request yet.
Source-language note for English speakers
English "receive" is regular and the morphology gives learners no trouble — the obstacle here is purely the Romanian infix, the appearing-and-disappearing -esc- that has no English analogue, so beginners over-extend it to primescem and primescam. Anchor on the plural and the past, where the infix is absent: primim, primeam. On the meaning side, watch the welcome/host extension: English keeps "receive" and "host guests" as separate verbs, but Romanian uses a primi for both — a primi musafiri is the normal way to say "to have people over," where English would never say "to receive guests" casually.
Common Mistakes
❌ Noi primescem mereu vești bune.
Incorrect — the infix drops in the plural; the form is primim.
✅ Noi primim mereu vești bune.
We always receive good news.
❌ Anul trecut primescam bursă.
Incorrect — no infix in the imperfect; the form is primeam.
✅ Anul trecut primeam bursă.
Last year I was getting a scholarship.
❌ Sper să primește răspuns. (meaning: I hope I get an answer)
Incorrect — for a 1sg subject use să primesc; primească is 3rd person.
✅ Sper să primesc răspuns.
I hope to get an answer.
❌ Vrea ca ei să primesc premiul.
Incorrect — the 3pl subjunctive is primească, not primesc.
✅ Vrea ca ei să primească premiul.
She wants them to receive the prize.
Now practice Romanian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- Class IV Present: -esc VerbsA2 — How to conjugate the dominant Class IV subtype that inserts -esc (or back-vowel -ăsc) in the singular and third-person plural — the single most common present-tense pattern in Romanian.
- The -esc / -ăsc Infix (Class IV)A2 — The productive -esc/-ăsc infix that appears in most Class IV verbs — where it sits in the paradigm, why it drops in 'we' and 'you-plural', and why you should expect it by default.
- Verbs of Giving and Receiving (a da, a primi, a oferi)B1 — Ditransitive verbs in Romanian take a dative recipient plus an accusative thing, with an obligatory doubling clitic for the recipient — and a împrumuta covers both 'lend' and 'borrow', told apart by cuiva ('to someone') vs de la ('from').
- a cere — to ask for, to requestA2 — Full conjugation of the third-conjugation verb a cere, the verb for asking for or requesting a thing, which takes the person in the dative and contrasts with a întreba.
- a da — to giveA1 — Full conjugation of the irregular monosyllabic verb a da (to give), with its diphthong forms, the doubled-d imperfect dădeam, and dozens of idiomatic uses.