The Long Infinitive (-re)
In Romanian, you can easily turn a verb into an abstract noun representing the action itself—like turning "to complete" into "the completion" or "to wait" into "the waiting".
To do this, take the infinitive form of the verb and add the suffix -re. These are known as "long infinitive" nouns. All long infinitive nouns are feminine. To say "the [action]" (using the definite article), the final -e becomes -ea.
For example, from the verb a completa (to fill out), we get completare (filling out), and completarea (the filling out).
Actions and the Genitive Case
When you use an action noun, you usually need to state the object of that action—like "the signing of the contract" or "the verification of the data". In Romanian, this requires the Genitive case.
Notice how the noun following the long infinitive is modified to show this "of" relationship.
Navigating Administrative Tasks
These long infinitive nouns are incredibly common when dealing with bureaucracy and administrative procedures. You will often hear them alongside standard administrative vocabulary like ghișeul (the counter) or taxa (the fee).
Expressing Time and Process
Because these nouns describe a process, they are perfect for talking about how long a procedure takes or the sequence of events. You can easily use them as the subject of a sentence, or place them after prepositions like pentru (for) and după (after).