The Supine with "de"
In Romanian, the supine form is identical to the past participle (e.g., făcut, fumat, așteptat). When paired with the preposition de, it acts as a verbal noun, much like the English "-ing" form. Several common verbs and reflexive idioms govern this structure to describe starting, quitting, or completing an activity.
Changing Habits
To talk about quitting or taking up a habit, use these reflexive verbs followed by de and the supine:
- a se lăsa de – to quit (doing something)
- a se apuca de – to take up / start (doing something)
| My brother quit smoking because it is a bad vice. | Fratele meu s-a lăsat de fumat fiindcă este un viciu rău. |
| She never starts doing anything, because of every distraction. | Nu se apucă niciodată de făcut nimic, din cauza fiecărei distrageri. |
Reaching Your Limit
When you lose your patience with an activity, use a se sătura de (to get sick of / tired of).
| I got tired of explaining the benefit of this project. | M-am săturat de explicat beneficiul acestui proiect. |
Once you know these expressions, you can combine them to describe major personal changes:
| I got sick of staying indoors, so I took up running to avoid the sedentary lifestyle. | M-am săturat de stat în casă, așa că m-am apucat de alergat ca să evit sedentarismul. |
Sparing, Finishing, and Obligations
You will also see de + supine with transitive verbs like a scuti (to spare) and a termina (to finish), or with a avea (to have) to express that you have tasks to complete.
- a scuti de – to spare (someone) from (doing something)
- a termina de – to finish (doing something)
- a avea de – to have to (do something) / to have something to (do)
| This spares me from explaining every distraction. | Asta mă scutește de explicat fiecare distragere. |
| We persevered and finished writing the radical report. | Am perseverat și am terminat de scris raportul radical. |
| The dictionary? I have to buy it, because I have to translate a text. | Dicționarul? Trebuie să îl cumpăr, fiindcă am de tradus un text. |
