A stinge means to extinguish or to turn off — a fire, a candle, a cigarette, the light. It is a third-conjugation verb (the -e class) and the exact mirror of a aprinde ("to light, turn on"): whatever you aprinzi, you later stingi. Learn the two as a pair — they share the same endings and the same kind of irregular participle. The participle is the -s type: stins (not stingut), which also serves as the supine, feeds the pluperfect, and works as a common adjective: focul e stins, "the fire is out."
Unlike a aprinde, the stem of a stinge ends in -g, so there is no d→z alternation; the g stays soft throughout (sting, stingi, stinge). The reflexive a se stinge means to go out / die down on its own — and, in an everyday extended sense, a phone or battery dying. Most strikingly, a se stinge (din viață) is the gentle, literary euphemism for to pass away: a life, like a flame, going out.
Prezent indicativ
Stem sting-, third-conjugation endings. The 1st singular and 3rd plural are bare and identical (sting). There is no consonant alternation — the g is constant.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | sting |
| tu | stingi |
| el / ea | stinge |
| noi | stingem |
| voi | stingeți |
| ei / ele | sting |
Stinge lumina când ieși, te rog.
Turn off the light when you leave, please.
De ce nu stingi televizorul dacă nu te uiți?
Why don't you turn off the TV if you're not watching it?
Imperfect
Third-conjugation imperfect: the sting- stem plus the -eam endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | stingeam |
| tu | stingeai |
| el / ea | stingea |
| noi | stingeam |
| voi | stingeați |
| ei / ele | stingeau |
Tata stingea mereu lumina pe hol înainte de culcare.
Dad always used to turn off the hall light before bed.
Perfect compus
The everyday past tense: the auxiliary a avea plus the irregular -s participle stins.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | am stins |
| tu | ai stins |
| el / ea | a stins |
| noi | am stins |
| voi | ați stins |
| ei / ele | au stins |
Pompierii au stins incendiul abia spre dimineață.
The firefighters put out the blaze only toward morning.
Mai-mult-ca-perfectul
The synthetic pluperfect, built on the participle stem stinse-.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | stinsesem |
| tu | stinseseși |
| el / ea | stinsese |
| noi | stinseserăm |
| voi | stinseserăți |
| ei / ele | stinseseră |
Stinsesem deja lumânările când a sunat la ușă.
I had already blown out the candles when the doorbell rang.
Viitor
The formal voi + infinitive future alongside the colloquial o să + conjunctiv.
| Person | Viitor (voi-form, formal) | Colloquial (o să) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | voi stinge | o să sting |
| tu | vei stinge | o să stingi |
| el / ea | va stinge | o să stingă |
| noi | vom stinge | o să stingem |
| voi | veți stinge | o să stingeți |
| ei / ele | vor stinge | o să stingă |
O să sting eu luminile, du-te liniștit la culcare.
I'll turn off the lights, go to bed without worrying.
Conjunctiv prezent
Identical to the indicative except in the 3rd person, where stinge becomes să stingă (the -e flips to -ă).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | să sting |
| tu | să stingi |
| el / ea | să stingă |
| noi | să stingem |
| voi | să stingeți |
| ei / ele | să stingă |
Spune-i să stingă aragazul, simt miros de ars.
Tell him to turn off the stove, I smell something burning.
Condițional prezent
Formed with the conditional auxiliary (aș, ai, ar, am, ați, ar) plus the short infinitive stinge.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aș stinge |
| tu | ai stinge |
| el / ea | ar stinge |
| noi | am stinge |
| voi | ați stinge |
| ei / ele | ar stinge |
Aș stinge focul, dar mai vreau să stau puțin la căldură.
I'd put out the fire, but I want to sit by the warmth a bit longer.
Imperativ
The singular imperative is stinge! (identical to the 3sg present); the plural is stingeți! The negative singular uses the bare infinitive: nu stinge!
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| tu (sg.) | stinge! | nu stinge! |
| voi (pl.) | stingeți! | nu stingeți! |
Stingeți telefoanele, începe spectacolul.
Turn off your phones, the show is starting.
Nu stinge focul încă, mai punem niște castane.
Don't put out the fire yet, we're adding some chestnuts.
Forme nepersonale
| Form | Romanian |
|---|---|
| Infinitiv | (a) stinge |
| Gerunziu | stingând |
| Participiu | stins |
| Supin | de stins |
Usage
Transitively, a stinge takes a plain direct object: sting lumina, focul, o țigară, lumânarea, aragazul. Note that for a device you can say either stinge televizorul or închide televizorul — both are idiomatic for switching off, unlike a aprinde, where you must use a deschide to switch on. The reflexive a se stinge describes a fire, a light, or a sound dying down by itself (focul s-a stins), a phone or battery dying (mi s-a stins telefonul), and — in elevated or sympathetic register — a person passing away (s-a stins din viață). The participle stins agrees as an adjective: stins, stinsă, stinși, stinse, and figuratively means "faded, faint": o voce stinsă, "a faint voice."
Mi s-a stins telefonul, nu mi-am dat seama că era descărcat.
My phone died, I didn't realize the battery was flat.
Focul s-a stins de la sine peste noapte.
The fire went out on its own overnight.
Bunicul s-a stins liniștit, în somn, la nouăzeci de ani.
Grandfather passed away peacefully, in his sleep, at ninety.
Mi-a răspuns cu o voce stinsă, abia se auzea.
She answered me in a faint voice, barely audible.
Common Mistakes
Don't build a regular participle — it's the irregular -s form:
❌ Am stingut lumina.
Incorrect — the participle is stins, not stingut.
✅ Am stins lumina.
I turned off the light.
Don't drop the se when something goes out by itself:
❌ Focul a stins singur.
Incorrect — for a fire going out on its own, use the reflexive: s-a stins.
✅ Focul s-a stins singur.
The fire went out on its own.
Don't use the blunt a muri in a sympathetic or formal setting where a se stinge is expected:
❌ Regretăm să anunțăm că domnul Popescu a murit.
Too blunt for a formal announcement — prefer s-a stins din viață.
✅ Regretăm să anunțăm că domnul Popescu s-a stins din viață.
We regret to announce that Mr. Popescu has passed away.
Don't confuse the directions of the pair — stinge is "off," not "on":
❌ E întuneric, stinge lumina!
Backwards — if it's dark you want to turn the light ON: aprinde lumina.
✅ E întuneric, aprinde lumina!
It's dark, turn on the light!
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