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Questions & Answers about Am ales drumul greșit.
What tense is am ales, and why is it translated as a simple past in English?
Am ales is the perfectul compus (the Romanian compound past), formed with:
- am = I have
- ales = past participle of a alege (to choose)
So literally it looks like I have chosen, but in normal English it is often best translated as I chose.
In Romanian, perfectul compus is the most common way to talk about completed past actions in everyday speech. So even though it looks like an English present perfect, it often matches the English simple past.
Why is it am and not am fost or another past form?
Because Romanian usually forms this kind of past tense with the auxiliary a avea (to have) plus a past participle.
So:
- am ales = I chose / I have chosen
- not am fost ales in this sentence
Be careful: am fost ales would mean I was chosen, which is a completely different structure and meaning.
What is the base form of ales?