Light verbs: a da, a face
Many everyday actions are said with a da (to give) or a face (to do, to make) plus a noun, often with no article. Learn each one as a whole.
| expression | meaning |
|---|---|
| a da o mână de ajutor | to give someone a hand |
| a da examen | to take an exam |
| a face plajă | to sunbathe |
| a face baie | to take a bath |
A da examen is only taking the exam; passing it is a trece examenul.
| Can you give me a hand? | Îmi dai o mână de ajutor? |
| Tomorrow I'm taking my Romanian exam. | Mâine dau examen la română. |
| In the summer we sunbathe at the seaside. | Vara facem plajă la mare. |
| The child takes a bath every evening. | Copilul face baie în fiecare seară. |
Chores and memory
A spăla vasele (to do the dishes) uses the plural vasele, the dishes. With a termina de from this unit you get am terminat de spălat vasele. A ști pe de rost is to know by heart; the thing you know can come before or after pe de rost.
| I've finished doing the dishes. | Am terminat de spălat vasele. |
| The actor has to know the text by heart. | Actorul trebuie să știe textul pe de rost. |
Being good at something, choosing
A se pricepe la is to be good at, to know about. What you are good at follows la: a noun, or a supine (mă pricep la gătit). A opta pentru is to opt for; it takes -ez in the present: optez, optezi, optează.
| I'm good at cooking. | Mă pricep la gătit. |
| I opted for the train, not the plane. | Am optat pentru tren, nu pentru avion. |
Attention and luck
A fi atent (la) is to pay attention (to). Atent is an adjective, so it agrees: fii atent! to a man, fii atentă! to a woman, fiți atenți! to a group. Cu atenție is the adverb, carefully. A avea noroc is to be lucky — literally to have luck.
| Pay attention to the teacher! | Fii atent la profesor! |
| Read the instructions carefully. | Citește instrucțiunile cu atenție. |
| We were lucky with the weather. | Am avut noroc cu vremea. |
