Imperfect Tense in Romanian

Overview

The imperfect tense in Romanian describes past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or repeated. Where the compound past (perfectul compus) tells you what happened, the imperfect paints the backdrop: the weather that day, the habits of childhood, the action already in progress when something else occurred. It is the tense of "used to" and "was doing."

At the B1 level, the imperfect is crucial for developing narrative depth. Without it, learners are limited to listing completed events. With it, they can describe scenes, set moods, and distinguish between background and foreground actions in storytelling.

Romanian forms the imperfect synthetically, with distinctive endings added directly to the verb stem. Unlike the compound past, no auxiliary verb is needed. The imperfect is remarkably regular in Romanian, with very few irregular forms, making it one of the more approachable past tenses to learn.

How It Works

Formation

The imperfect is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem. The endings vary slightly depending on the conjugation group.

Group I (-a verbs, e.g., a lucra):

Person	Form	Translation
eu	lucram	I was working / I used to work
tu	lucrai	you were working
el/ea	lucra	he/she was working
noi	lucram	we were working
voi	lucrati	you (pl.) were working
ei/ele	lucrau	they were working

Group IV (-i verbs, e.g., a dormi):

Person	Form	Translation
eu	dormeam	I was sleeping
tu	dormeai	you were sleeping
el/ea	dormea	he/she was sleeping
noi	dormeam	we were sleeping
voi	dormeati	you (pl.) were sleeping
ei/ele	dormeau	they were sleeping

Common Irregular Imperfects

Verb	eu	el/ea	ei/ele
a fi (to be)	eram	era	erau
a avea (to have)	aveam	avea	aveau
a sti (to know)	stiam	stia	stiau
a lua (to take)	luam	lua	luau
a bea (to drink)	beam	bea	beau

Key Uses

Function	Example	Translation
Habitual past	Mergeam la scoala zilnic.	I used to go to school daily.
Background description	Era frig afara.	It was cold outside.
Ongoing past action	Citeam cand a sunat.	I was reading when he called.
Polite softening	Voiam sa te intreb ceva.	I wanted to ask you something.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Mergeam la scoala in fiecare zi.	I used to go to school every day.	Habitual action
Citeai ceva cand am intrat?	Were you reading something when I came in?	Interrupted action
Era frumos afara si soarele stralucea.	It was beautiful outside and the sun was shining.	Background description
Cand eram mic, jucam fotbal.	When I was little, I played football.	Childhood habit
Mama gatea in timp ce tata citea ziarul.	Mom was cooking while dad was reading the paper.	Two simultaneous actions
Ploua de dimineata.	It had been raining since morning.	Ongoing state
Voiam sa iti spun ceva.	I wanted to tell you something.	Polite softening
Stiam ca va veni.	I knew he would come.	Mental state in the past
Copiii se jucau in parc.	The children were playing in the park.	Ongoing past scene
Nu intelegeam ce se intampla.	I didn't understand what was happening.	Past state of confusion
In fiecare vara mergeam la bunici.	Every summer we went to our grandparents'.	Recurring past action
Aveam un caine cand eram copil.	I had a dog when I was a child.	Past state/possession

Common Mistakes

Wrong: Am mers la scoala in fiecare zi. (for a habitual past action) Right: Mergeam la scoala in fiecare zi. Why: The compound past (perfectul compus) describes completed single events. For habitual or repeated past actions, use the imperfect.

Wrong: Era cand a plecat frumos afara. Right: Era frumos afara cand a plecat. Why: The imperfect sets the background; the compound past introduces the event. Keep the background clause with the imperfect as the descriptive frame.

Wrong: Eu dormea toata noaptea. Right: Eu dormeam toata noaptea. Why: The imperfect endings must match the subject. First person singular for Group IV verbs ends in -eam, not -ea (which is third person).

Wrong: Cand am fost mic, am jucat fotbal. Right: Cand eram mic, jucam fotbal. Why: Both clauses here describe habitual/ongoing past situations, so both require the imperfect, not the compound past.

Usage Notes

The imperfect is standard across all registers of Romanian, from casual speech to literary prose. It is equally common in spoken and written language. In storytelling and journalism, the interplay between imperfect (background) and compound past (events) creates natural narrative flow.

Romanian speakers sometimes use the imperfect for politeness, softening a request: Voiam sa va intreb (I wanted to ask you) sounds gentler than the present tense Vreau sa va intreb (I want to ask you). This mirrors similar usage in French and Italian.

The imperfect is consistent across Romanian dialects, with only minor phonetic variations. It is one of the most regular tense formations in the language.

Practice Tips

• Practice narrating your daily routine from childhood using only the imperfect. This forces you to use habitual past forms and builds muscle memory for the endings.
• When reading Romanian texts, highlight the imperfect forms and note how they contrast with the compound past. Pay attention to which actions are background (imperfect) and which are events (compound past).
• Drill the irregular forms of a fi (eram, erai, era) until they are automatic, as these appear in virtually every narrative passage.

Related Concepts

• Parent: Compound Past Tense -- the imperfect works alongside the compound past to create narrative texture, with each tense serving a distinct function.
• Child: Pluperfect Tense -- the pluperfect extends past narration further back in time, describing events that had already happened before the imperfect scene.