Breakdown of Îmi este groază de birocrația de aici!
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
aici
here
îmi
to me
de
from (origin or time)
groaza
the terror
birocrația
the bureaucracy
Questions & Answers about Îmi este groază de birocrația de aici!
Why do we use the dative Îmi here instead of saying something like Eu sunt îngrozit?
Îmi este groază literally translates to "To me is horror." Just like many other physical or emotional states in Romanian (such as mi-e foame or mi-e frică), it requires an indirect object pronoun in the dative case (îmi) rather than a subject pronoun (eu). While sunt îngrozit is grammatically valid, îmi este groază is the much more common, idiomatic way to express dread.
Why does this sentence use de twice?
The two de prepositions serve completely different grammatical functions here. The first one connects the feeling to its cause (groază de, meaning "terror of"). The second one connects a noun to an adverb of place (birocrația de aici, meaning "the bureaucracy from here"). In Romanian, adverbs of place cannot modify nouns directly without de.
Since we are learning about the exclamatory subjunctive, how could I rephrase this to sound indignant about dealing with this system?
You can use the exclamatory subjunctive by dropping the main verb and just using the subjunctive marker să to show disbelief or outrage. For example, you could say Eu să mă descurc cu birocrația de aici?! (Me, deal with the bureaucracy here?!). This shifts the meaning from a statement of fear to an indignant complaint.
Is groază related to the adjective grozav?
Yes! They both share the same Slavic root. While groază specifically means terror, dread, or horror, the adjective grozav has evolved to mean either "terrible" or, paradoxically, "fantastic" depending on the context, much like "terrific" in English.
Learn Îmi este groază de birocrația de aici and more in Romanian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free