Imperfect of a avea and a vrea | Romanian Grammar

Two more high-frequency verbs need their own page: a avea (to have) and a vrea (to want). Both have slightly irregular imperfects, and a vrea sits at the center of a genuine spelling controversy that you will hear argued about by educated native speakers. Master these two and you can describe almost any past state of possession or intention.

a avea — aveam

The imperfect of a avea follows the regular -ea- theme but on the contracted stem av-: aveam, aveai, avea, aveam, aveați, aveau.

Person	a avea — imperfect	Meaning
eu	aveam	I had / used to have
tu	aveai	you had
el / ea	avea	he / she had
noi	aveam	we had
voi	aveați	you (pl.) had
ei / ele	aveau	they had

Because possession is a state, not a bounded event, "I had X" in the sense of "I owned / possessed X over a stretch of time" is almost always the imperfect aveam, not the perfect compus am avut.

Aveam o casă mare la munte, cu grădină și meri.

We had a big house in the mountains, with a garden and apple trees.

Pe atunci nu aveam mașină și mergeam peste tot pe jos.

Back then I didn't have a car and I walked everywhere.

A avea also forms a cluster of fixed expressions about past states — being right, being in a hurry, feeling something — that all take the imperfect for an ongoing condition.

Aveam dreptate, dar nimeni nu mă credea.

I was right, but nobody believed me.

Aveam impresia că ne cunoșteam de undeva.

I had the impression we knew each other from somewhere.

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Romanian expresses many "be"-states with a avea: a avea dreptate (to be right), a avea nevoie (to need), a avea grijă (to take care). In the past these become aveam dreptate, aveam nevoie, aveam grijă — the imperfect, because they describe a condition that lasted. The imperfect aveam is also reused as the auxiliary inside other constructions (such as the periphrastic aveam de + supine — "I had something to..."), which is another reason it is worth knowing cold.

a vrea — voiam (and the vroiam debate)

The imperfect of a vrea is built on a stem vo- with a glide, giving the standard forms voiam, voiai, voia, voiam, voiați, voiau.

Person	a vrea — imperfect (standard)	Meaning
eu	voiam	I wanted / used to want
tu	voiai	you wanted
el / ea	voia	he / she wanted
noi	voiam	we wanted
voi	voiați	you (pl.) wanted
ei / ele	voiau	they wanted

Because wanting is a state, the imperfect voiam is the normal way to report a past desire or intention — including the very common polite softener "I wanted to ask you something," where the past tense makes the request gentler.

Voiam să te întreb ceva, dacă ai un minut.

I wanted to ask you something, if you have a minute.

Voia să plece, dar a rămas până la sfârșit.

He wanted to leave, but he stayed until the end.

Voiam doar să te ajut, nu să te supăr.

I only wanted to help you, not to upset you.

The voiam vs vroiam controversy

Here is the flashpoint. Alongside voiam, you will constantly hear and see vroiam (vroiam, vroiai, vroia, vroiam, vroiați, vroiau), with an extra r. This form is extremely widespread in everyday speech and informal writing — many native speakers consider it perfectly normal. But it is criticized by the Romanian Academy and by prescriptive grammars, which regard voiam as the only correct standard form. The reason is etymological: the imperfect comes from the stem voi-, and the r of vroiam is an analogical intrusion from the present vreau / infinitive a vrea.

Form	Status
voiam, voiai, voia...	standard, recommended (formal and written)
vroiam, vroiai, vroia...	widespread in speech (informal); criticized by purists, avoid in formal writing

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For exams, formal writing, and any context where you want to sound educated and correct, use voiam. In casual conversation vroiam will pass unremarked and is arguably the majority usage — but a careful editor or teacher will still mark it as nonstandard. Knowing both, and knowing which is which, is exactly what separates an informed speaker from a guessing one.

Voiam (nu „vroiam”) să-ți mulțumesc pentru ajutor.

I wanted (not 'vroiam') to thank you for your help. — standard form preferred in writing

The eu = noi overlap

As in every imperfect, aveam and voiam each cover both "I" and "we." Use the pronoun to disambiguate.

Eu aveam bani, dar noi nu aveam timp deloc.

I had money, but we had no time at all.

Noi voiam să mergem la munte, ei voiau la mare.

We wanted to go to the mountains; they wanted the seaside.

Common Mistakes

❌ Anul trecut am avut o mașină roșie tot timpul.

For ongoing possession, the imperfect 'aveam' is the natural choice, not the bounded 'am avut'.

✅ Anul trecut aveam o mașină roșie.

Last year I had a red car.

❌ Vream să te întreb ceva.

Incorrect — 'vream' is not standard; the imperfect is 'voiam'.

✅ Voiam să te întreb ceva.

I wanted to ask you something.

❌ Vroiam să subliniez acest aspect în raport.

In formal writing, avoid 'vroiam'; the standard form is 'voiam'.

✅ Voiam să subliniez acest aspect în raport.

I wanted to emphasize this point in the report.

❌ Eu avea dreptate.

Incorrect person — 'avea' is el/ea; 'I was right' is 'aveam dreptate'.

✅ Eu aveam dreptate.

I was right.

Key Takeaways

A avea imperfect: aveam, aveai, avea, aveam, aveați, aveau — past possession and avea-states (aveam dreptate, aveam nevoie).
A vrea imperfect: voiam, voiai, voia, voiam, voiați, voiau — past wants and the polite "I wanted to ask...".
voiam is the standard, recommended form; vroiam is common in speech but nonstandard — avoid it in formal writing.
Aveam doubles as an auxiliary in other constructions, so it pays to know it well.
eu = noi; disambiguate with the pronoun.

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