Boiling, frying, preparing
Three kitchen verbs. A fierbe (to boil) belongs to the -e group, and its past participle is irregular: am fiert (I boiled). A prăji (to fry) and a pregăti (to prepare) take -esc. You already know the participle of a prăji from cartofi prăjiți.
| a fierbe | a prăji | a pregăti | |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | fierb | prăjesc | pregătesc |
| tu | fierbi | prăjești | pregătești |
| el, ea | fierbe | prăjește | pregătește |
| noi | fierbem | prăjim | pregătim |
| past | am fiert | am prăjit | am pregătit |
| We boil the eggs for ten minutes. | Fierbem ouăle zece minute. |
| I boiled the potatoes for the salad. | Am fiert cartofii pentru salată. |
| I'm frying the onion in oil. | Prăjesc ceapa în ulei. |
A pregăti needs an object: pregătesc cina (I'm making dinner). Without one, the reflexive mă pregătesc means I'm getting ready.
| What did you make for the party? | Ce ai pregătit pentru petrecere? |
The supine in the kitchen
The supine you have just learned is everywhere in recipes: a pune apa la fiert (to put the water on to boil), ușor de pregătit (easy to make), greu de deschis (hard to open).
| I'm putting the water on to boil. | Pun apa la fiert. |
| Meatballs are easy to make. | Chiftelele sunt ușor de pregătit. |
| This jar is hard to open. | Acest borcan este greu de deschis. |
Salty and spicy
Sărat comes from sare (salt). Iute is the burn of chili: ardei iute is a hot pepper, and many Romanians eat their ciorbă with one on the side. Picant, which you know, is the general word for spicy, strongly seasoned food. Iute also means quick.
| The soup is too salty. | Supa este prea sărată. |
| I eat ciorbă with a hot pepper. | Mănânc ciorbă cu ardei iute. |
| This horse is young and quick. | Calul acesta este tânăr și iute. |
In the pantry
Chifteaua works like cafeaua: o chiftea, chifteaua, plural chiftele. Lămâia is o lămâie, plural lămâi. Borcanul and condimentul are neuter: borcane, condimente. Gustarea (gustări) is anything you eat between meals.
| I drink tea with lemon. | Beau ceai cu lămâie. |
| Salt and pepper are seasonings. | Sarea și piperul sunt condimente. |
