Third-person subjunctive (să)

The Third-Person Vowel Flip

In the previous lesson, you learned that for "I" and "you", the verb following să looks exactly like its normal present tense form.

However, when talking about what "he", "she", or "they" (the third person) want or need to do, the verb does change. For most regular verbs, the final vowel flips:

• Verbs ending in -e change to -ă.
• Verbs ending in -ă change to -e.

Stem Changes in the Subjunctive

Sometimes, flipping the ending from -e to -ă causes a small vowel change inside the verb's stem as well. For example, vede (sees) becomes să vadă, and rămâne (stays) becomes să răm*â*nă.

Exceptions and Irregularities

Not every verb follows the strict vowel flip perfectly. Some common verbs have special subjunctive forms you will need to learn as you go:

• a scrie (to write): Stays exactly the same in the third person (scrie -> să scrie).
• a face (to do): Takes an -ă ending (face -> să facă).
• a pleca (to leave): Follows the rule, but is good to memorize (pleacă -> să plece).
• a citi (to read): Verbs ending in -ește often change to -ească (citește -> să citească).

Remember, just like in previous lessons, the verb trebuie (must) never changes form. You always say trebuie să, and only the second verb changes to match the third person.