Learn Hardcore Romanian: Azi plouă mult. - It is raining a lot today.

Azi is an adverb of time meaning today. It tells you when something happens. In Romanian you’ll most often find it at the start of a sentence, but you can also place it at the end for stylistic emphasis.

Why is there no subject like it or el in Azi plouă mult?

Because plouă is an impersonal verb. Impersonal verbs in Romanian exist only in the 3rd person singular and don’t take a subject pronoun. Think of English “it’s raining” – Romanian simply drops the “it.”

What tense and person is plouă, and what is its infinitive?

plouă is the present indicative, 3rd person singular form of the verb a ploua (to rain). Impersonal verbs like a ploua are only conjugated in that one form.

What is the role of mult here, and why isn’t it mulți or multe?

In Azi plouă mult, mult functions as an adverb meaning a lot or much, modifying the verb plouă. Adverbs don’t change for gender or number. The forms mulți/multe are adjective/plural forms used to describe nouns (e.g. mulți oameni – many people).

How do you pronounce Azi plouă mult, and where are the stresses?

Phonetic transcription: /ˈa.zi plu.ˈwə mult/.

Azi: stress on the first syllable → AH-zee
plouă: stress on the second syllable → ploo-WUH
mult: pronounced like “mult” in English, with a clear /l/

Can I say Astăzi plouă mult instead of Azi plouă mult, and is there any nuance?

Yes. Astăzi is a more formal or literary synonym for azi, both meaning today. In everyday speech you’ll hear azi more often; astăzi might appear in written texts or more formal contexts.

Is Plouă mult azi equally correct, and does the word order change the emphasis?

Absolutely. Romanian word order is flexible. Plouă mult azi puts the focus first on the fact that it’s raining a lot, then specifies azi (today). The basic meaning remains unchanged, but your emphasis shifts slightly.

What role does the diacritic ă play in plouă, and what if I omit it?

In Romanian, ă represents the mid-central vowel /ə/. In plouă, the final syllable is /wə/. Writing ploua (without the diacritic) is technically a spelling error and can lead to mispronunciation (e.g. /plu.ˈwa/). Always include ă for correct spelling and pronunciation.