The Future in the Past
When narrating a story, you often need to talk about what "was going to" happen—whether it's a historical event that was destined to occur, or a plan that got disrupted.
In Romanian, this "future in the past" is formed using the imperfect tense of a avea (to have), followed by să and the subjunctive form of the main verb.
Here are the imperfect forms of a avea:
| Person | A avea (Imperfect) | Construction |
|---|---|---|
| Eu | aveam | aveam să + verb |
| Tu | aveai | aveai să + verb |
| El / Ea | avea | avea să + verb |
| Noi | aveam | aveam să + verb |
| Voi | aveați | aveați să + verb |
| Ei / Ele | aveau | aveau să + verb |
Inevitability and Destiny
You can use this structure to narrate historical events or actions that were inevitably going to unfold in a past timeline:
| She was going to discover the assassin in May. | Ea avea să descopere asasinul în luna mai. |
| The disaster was going to transform the whole country. | Dezastrul avea să transforme toată țara. |
Disrupted Plans
This construction is also perfect for expressing a past intention or plan that was interrupted. You will often see it paired with a contrasting outcome, such as an action that prevented it:
| The emperor was going to conquer the city, but the alliance prevented the disaster. | Împăratul avea să cucerească orașul, dar alianța a prevenit dezastrul. |
| We were going to sign the treaty, but the revolt triggered a war. | Aveam să semnăm tratatul, dar revolta a declanșat un război. |
| You were going to fail, since you didn't sign the treaty. | Aveați să eșuați, din moment ce nu ați semnat tratatul. |
| The girls were going to climb that mountain, but they didn't have the equipment. | Fetele aveau să escaladeze acel munte, dar nu au avut echipamentul. |
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