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### Speculating in the Present

When you want to guess or speculate about what someone is doing right now—like wondering why a colleague is missing or what the boss is up to behind closed doors—you use the presumptive mood (*prezumtivul*). In English, this usually translates to "might be doing" or "must be doing."

For the third person (he, she, or they), this mood is formed using three parts: the auxiliary particle **o**, the invariable word **fi** (to be), and the **gerund** of the main verb (which ends in *-când*, *-ind*, or *-ând*).

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### Reflexive Verbs in the Presumptive

If the verb you are speculating about is reflexive, the reflexive pronoun goes at the very beginning. For the third-person pronoun *se*, it merges with the auxiliary *o* to form **s-o**.

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### Speculating About States

You are not limited to actions. If you want to speculate about a characteristic or a state of being, you simply replace the gerund with an adjective or noun. The structure is still **o fi**, followed by the descriptor.

Notice how the next example uses both an action (*o fi șușotind*) and a state (*o fi confidențială*) side-by-side:

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### Office Drama and Gossip

Whether someone is hiding a secret or reading a confidential file, the structure remains consistent. As you read the following examples, pay attention to how the gerund forms tell you that the suspected action is happening right now.

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Present speculation (o fi)

adjective

adverb

adverbial phrase

auxiliary

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The verb to be and definite articles (a fi, -ul, -le)

Feminine definite articles (-a, -ua)

Indefinite articles (un, o)

Negative sentences (nu)

Question words (ce, unde, cine)

The verb to have (a avea)

Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)

Feminine plural nouns (-e, -i, -le)

Neuter plural nouns (-uri, -e, -le)

Adjectives and agreement

Present tense of regular -a verbs

Present tense of -a verbs with suffix (-ez)

Present tense of regular -i and -î verbs

Present tense of -i and -î verbs with suffix (-esc / -ăsc)

Present tense of -ea and -e verbs

Reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă)

Accusative prepositions (în, la, pe, din, cu)

Likes and dislikes (îmi place)

Possessive adjectives (meu, tău, său)

Third-person possessives (lui, ei, lor)

Possessive articles (al, a, ai, ale)

Formal politeness (dumneavoastră)

Demonstrative adjectives (acest, acel)

Numbers 1 to 10

The number two (doi, două)

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Quantifying large numbers (de)

The subjunctive (să)

Third-person subjunctive (să)

Direct object pronouns (îl, o, îi, le)

Personal direct objects (pe)

Days of the week

Telling time (e ora...)

Months of the Year (January to June)

Months of the Year (July to December)

The Four Seasons

Weather Conditions

Rooms in a House

Basic Body Parts: Upper Body

Basic Body Parts: Limbs

Everyday Clothing

Basic Foods: Groceries

Fruits and Vegetables

Around Town

Getting Around

Setting the Table

A Colorful World

Common Animals

In the Wild

Jobs and Careers

Everyday Tech

Describing people (tânăr, bătrân, înalt)

Asking when and why (când, de ce, care)

Hello and goodbye (bună ziua, la revedere)

Coming and going (intra, sta, trece)

Where is it? (sub, lângă, între)

Knowing and thinking (știu că, cred că)

Sorry, welcome, congratulations (îmi pare rău, la mulți ani)

Introducing yourself (mă numesc, sunt din România)

How much and how many (puțin, prea, doar)

Can and may (pot merge, pot să merg)

If and whether (dacă)

At school and university

Irregular verbs in the present (vrea, lua, da, bea, sta)

Free time and sport

How much is it? (cât costă, câți, câte)

Before and after (înainte, după, până)

At the doctor (mă doare)

Meals of the day (micul dejun, prânzul, cina)

At the restaurant

Ability and permission (a putea să)

Obligation and necessity (trebuie să)

Desires and intentions (a vrea să)

Impersonal statements (se)

Adverbs of frequency (adesea, uneori)

Conjunctions for reasons and links (pentru că, deci)

Stressed accusative pronouns (pe mine, pe tine)

Indefinite pronouns (cineva, ceva)

Negative pronouns and double negation (nimeni, nimic)

The past tense auxiliary (am, ai, a)

The past tense (am, ai, a)

Regular past participles (-at, -it)

Regular past participles (-ut, -s, -t)

Negative past tense (nu am)

Question	Answer
mysterious	misterios
might (presumptive auxiliary)	o
the resignation	demisia
The female boss is mysterious today; she might be signing the resignation.	Șefa este misterioasă astăzi; o fi semnând demisia.
absent	absent
to whisper (together / gossiping)	șușoti
Maria is absent from the office; she might be whispering with the secretary.	Maria este absentă de la birou; o fi șușotind cu secretara.
The boss is in the office; he might be arguing with the secretary.	Șeful este în birou; s-o fi certând cu secretara.
the transfer	transferul
intriguing	intrigant
This transfer is intriguing; the female colleague might be preparing the resignation.	Acest transfer este intrigant; colega o fi pregătind demisia.
to spy	spiona
The colleague is absent again; he might be spying on the client.	Colegul este absent din nou; o fi spionând clientul.
Why is the secretary whispering? She might be hiding something less pleasant than we think.	De ce șușotește secretara? O fi ascunzând ceva mai puțin plăcut decât credem.
desperate	disperat
confidential	confidențial
The director seems desperate; he might be reading a confidential document.	Directorul pare disperat; o fi citind un document confidențial.
The mysterious woman might be spying on the team.	Femeia misterioasă o fi spionând echipa.
The colleague is desperate because of the transfer; he might be crying right now.	Colegul este disperat din cauza transferului; o fi plângând acum.
The project is intriguing; he must find out what the boss might be hiding.	Proiectul este intrigant; el trebuie să afle ce o fi ascunzând șeful.
the conversation	conversația
The boss might be whispering on the phone, the conversation might be confidential.	Șeful o fi șușotind la telefon, conversația o fi confidențială.
The colleague might be listening at the door, the conversation might be interesting.	Colega o fi ascultând la ușă, conversația o fi interesantă.