Romanian builds an enormous number of verbs not from other verbs but straight from nouns and adjectives, using prefixes. The undisputed champion is în-/îm-, the language's verb factory: glue it to an adjective or noun and you get a verb meaning "make X" or "become X." Its mirror image, des-/dez-, undoes an action. Around these two sit re- (do again), pre- (do beforehand), and the intensive stră- (through, thoroughly). This page shows you how each prefix changes meaning, the spelling rules that govern în- vs îm-, and why these prefixes let you generate verbs you have never been taught.
în- / îm-: the verb factory
This is the most productive verbal prefix in Romanian and the one with the biggest payoff. Attached to an adjective, it builds a verb of becoming or causing to become; attached to a noun, a verb of turning into or putting into that state. The base is usually wrapped with the infinitive ending -a or -i as well, so the pattern is în- + base + -i/-a.
| Base | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| roșu (red, adj.) | a înroși | to redden, make/turn red |
| bătrân (old, adj.) | a îmbătrâni | to grow old |
| bogat (rich, adj.) | a (se) îmbogăți | to enrich / get rich |
| gheață (ice, noun) | a îngheța | to freeze |
| floare (flower, noun) | a înflori | to bloom |
| negru (black, adj.) | a înnegri | to blacken |
Many of these verbs are inchoative (the subject becomes X by itself: a îmbătrâni "to grow old") and many are also causative with a direct object (a înroși ceva "to make something red"). Romanian often distinguishes the two with the reflexive se: Cerul s-a înroșit ("the sky turned red") vs Rușinea i-a înroșit obrajii ("shame reddened her cheeks").
Frunzele s-au înroșit peste noapte, parcă a dat toamna.
The leaves turned red overnight, as if autumn had arrived. (roșu → a (se) înroși)
Bunica a îmbătrânit frumos, cu părul alb și ochii vii.
Grandma has aged beautifully, with white hair and lively eyes. (bătrân → a îmbătrâni)
A înghețat lacul, putem să mergem pe gheață.
The lake has frozen over, we can walk on the ice. (gheață → a îngheța)
Spelling: în- before most letters, îm- before b and p
This is the single most error-prone point. The prefix is spelled îm- before b and p, and în- everywhere else. This mirrors how the sound naturally assimilates before those two lip-consonants.
| Before b / p → îm- | Elsewhere → în- |
|---|---|
| a îmbătrâni (bătrân) | a înroși (roșu) |
| a îmbogăți (bogat) | a îngheța (gheață) |
| a împăca (pace) | a înflori (floare) |
| a îmbrăca (dress) | a înnegri (negru) |
Note also that when în- meets a base starting with n, you get a double nn: negru → a înnegri, noapte → a înnopta ("for night to fall"). And remember the orthographic rule that î becomes î (not â) at the start of a word and right after a prefix — so it is always înroși, îmbătrâni, never ânroși.
După ceartă, copiii s-au împăcat repede și au plecat la joacă.
After the quarrel, the kids made up quickly and went off to play. (pace → a (se) împăca, îm- before p)
S-a îmbogățit peste noapte dintr-o afacere dubioasă.
He got rich overnight from a shady business deal. (bogat → a se îmbogăți, îm- before b)
des- / dez-: the undoing mirror
If în-/îm- makes and starts, des-/dez- unmakes and reverses. It is the closest Romanian comes to English un-/dis-. The form is dez- before a vowel or voiced consonant and des- before a voiceless consonant — again an assimilation rule.
| Verb | Reversed verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a face (do/make) | a desface | to undo, take apart |
| a lega (tie) | a dezlega | to untie, solve |
| a îmbrăca (dress) | a dezbrăca | to undress |
| (zăpadă → a înzăpezi) | a deszăpezi | to clear of snow |
| a amăgi (delude) | a dezamăgi | to disappoint |
Nu reușesc să desfac nodul ăsta, e prea strâns.
I can't undo this knot, it's too tight. (a face → a desface)
M-ai dezamăgit profund cu decizia ta.
You disappointed me deeply with your decision. (a dezamăgi)
Drumarii au deszăpezit șoseaua abia spre seară.
The road crews cleared the highway of snow only towards evening. (a deszăpezi)
re-: do it again
The prefix re- marks repetition, exactly like English re- (redo, reread). It is fully productive and attaches to existing verbs without changing their conjugation.
Trebuie să refac toată prezentarea, s-a șters fișierul.
I have to redo the whole presentation, the file got deleted. (a face → a reface)
Mi-a plăcut atât de mult cartea, încât am recitit-o imediat.
I liked the book so much that I reread it right away. (a citi → a reciti)
Note that when re- meets a verb starting with în-, the î spelling rule applies and you keep î after the prefix: a începe → a reîncepe ("to begin again"), a învăța → a reînvăța.
După pauză, am reînceput repetițiile cu și mai mult entuziasm.
After the break, we started the rehearsals again with even more enthusiasm. (a începe → a reîncepe)
pre-: do it beforehand
The prefix pre- adds the sense of anticipation or acting in advance, like English pre-/fore-.
Nimeni nu putea să prevadă cât de repede aveau să se schimbe lucrurile.
No one could foresee how fast things were going to change. (a vedea → a prevedea)
Contractul prevede o penalizare pentru întârziere.
The contract provides for a penalty for delay. (a prevedea, 'stipulates')
stră-: through and thoroughly
The native prefix stră- (from Latin extra-/trans-) conveys going through or doing intensely/thoroughly. It is less productive than the others but yields some vivid, common verbs.
| Base | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a bate (beat/walk) | a străbate | to traverse, roam through |
| (luci → a luci) | a străluci | to shine, glitter |
| a vedea (see) | a străvedea | to see through |
Stră- also appears in kinship and time words meaning "removed by one generation/era": străbunic ("great-grandfather"), strămoș ("ancestor"), străvechi ("ancient") — the same "through time / across" idea.
Au străbătut țara de la un capăt la altul cu rucsacul în spate.
They roamed across the country from end to end with backpacks. (a străbate)
Stelele străluceau atât de tare încât citeam fără lanternă.
The stars shone so brightly that I could read without a flashlight. (a străluci)
Why prefixes do so much work in Romanian
English usually makes "become X" with a separate verb (to grow old, to turn red) or an auxiliary (get, become). Romanian instead packs that meaning into a prefix, so a single word does the job: a îmbătrâni = "to grow old," a înroși = "to turn red." This is morphologically denser than English and explains why Romanian dictionaries are full of în- verbs that look like they have no simple English equivalent — they are adjective-or-noun-plus-operator built in one move. The practical upshot: once you know an adjective, you can often predict the verb of becoming, and once you know that verb, des-/dez- gives you its undoing for free.
Common Mistakes
Using în- where the spelling demands îm- (before b/p):
❌ a înbătrâni / a înbogăți
Incorrect — îm- before b: a îmbătrâni, a îmbogăți.
✅ a îmbătrâni / a îmbogăți
to grow old / to enrich
Writing â instead of î after the prefix or word-initially:
❌ a ânroși / a reâncepe
Incorrect — î word-initially and right after a prefix: a înroși, a reîncepe.
✅ a înroși / a reîncepe
to redden / to begin again
Forgetting the double n when în- meets an n-stem:
❌ a înegri (from negru)
Incorrect — în- + negri gives double n: a înnegri.
✅ a înnegri
to blacken
Picking the wrong allomorph of the undoing prefix:
❌ a dezface / a desamăgi
Incorrect — des- before voiceless f, dez- before a vowel: a desface, a dezamăgi.
✅ a desface / a dezamăgi
to undo / to disappoint
Translating a prefixed verb word-for-word instead of as a single concept:
❌ reading 'a prevedea' as just 'to pre-see'
It lexicalizes as 'to foresee' or, in legal use, 'to stipulate/provide for.'
✅ Legea prevede acest caz.
The law provides for this case.
Key Takeaways
- în- / îm- is Romanian's verb factory: from an adjective or noun it builds "make/become X" (roșu → a înroși, bătrân → a îmbătrâni). Spell it îm- before b/p, în- elsewhere, with î (not â) after the prefix.
- des- / dez- is the undoing mirror (a face → a desface, a lega → a dezlega); des- before voiceless consonants, dez- before vowels/voiced.
- re- marks repetition (a reface, a reciti; keep î in a reîncepe).
- pre- marks anticipation (a prevedea).
- stră- marks going through / thoroughly (a străbate, a străluci) and "across generations" in kinship (străbunic, strămoș).
- Romanian packs "become / undo / redo" into the prefix, so one word does what English needs a phrase for.
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