The Compound Perfect
To talk about the past in Romanian, you use the perfect compus (compound perfect). Similar to English (e.g., "I have eaten"), it combines an auxiliary verb with a past participle. This lesson focuses on these auxiliary verbs—short forms derived from a avea (to have).
The Auxiliary Forms
Here is the past tense auxiliary. Notice that the forms for "I" and "we" are identical (am).
| Pronoun | Auxiliary |
|---|---|
| Eu (I) | am |
| Tu (You) | ai |
| El / Ea (He / She) | a |
| Noi (We) | am |
| Voi (You all) | ați |
| Ei / Ele (They) | au |
First Person: I and We (am)
Context tells you whether am means "I" or "we".
| We won the contest today. | Am câștigat concursul azi. |
| I caught the ball in the park. | Am prins mingea în parc. |
Second Person: You (ai, ați)
Use ai for an informal singular "you", and ați for a plural or formal "you".
| You laughed a lot at my joke. | Ai râs mult la gluma mea. |
| What did you choose at the restaurant? | Ce ați ales la restaurant? |
Third Person: He, She, and They (a, au)
Use a for singular (he/she/it) and au for plural (they).
| The girl cried because she lost. | Fata a plâns pentru că a pierdut. |
| They heard the joke and laughed. | Ei au auzit gluma și au râs. |
Asking Questions
Questions usually keep the same word order as statements. Just place any question words right before the auxiliary verb.
| How many students won the contest? | Câți studenți au câștigat concursul? |
| Why did you cry today? | De ce ați plâns astăzi? |
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