The Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense describes ongoing, continuous, or habitual actions in the past. It sets the scene, establishing how things "used to be."
While completed events take the compound past, stative verbs like a fi (to be), a avea (to have), and a vrea (to want) frequently use the imperfect to describe a lasting state. For a vrea, standard Romanian uses the forms of the related verb a voi (voiam).
| Pronoun | a fi (to be) | a avea (to have) | a vrea (to want) |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | eram | aveam | voiam |
| tu | erai | aveai | voiai |
| el / ea | era | avea | voia |
| noi | eram | aveam | voiam |
| voi | erați | aveați | voiați |
| ei / ele | erau | aveau | voiau |
a fi (to be)
Use the imperfect of a fi to describe past states, conditions, or locations.
| The army was tired after the war. | Armata era obosită după război. |
| Our soldiers were brave in the war. | Soldații noștri erau curajoși în război. |
a avea (to have)
Possessing something in the past is typically an ongoing state, so a avea regularly takes the imperfect.
| The king was old, but he had the power. | Regele era bătrân, dar avea puterea. |
| We had gold, but we were not rich. | Aveam aur, dar nu eram bogați. |
a vrea (to want)
Use the voiam forms to describe past intentions or desires.
| The king wanted all the power. | Regele voia toată puterea. |
| We did not want the war, because it was long. | Nu voiam războiul, pentru că era lung. |
You can seamlessly mix the imperfect with the compound past. Often, the imperfect describes the background state or motivation, while the compound past describes the resulting completed event.
| They built the wall because they wanted power. | Au construit zidul fiindcă voiau putere. |