Understanding the Romanian Past Tense
The Romanian language has several ways to talk about things that happened in the past. These are called past tenses. Let's explore them together!
Simple Past (Perfectul simplu)
This tense is used mostly in literary contexts and in some regions of Romania. It describes actions that were completed in the past.
Examples
- Eu am mâncat o prăjitură ieri.
- El a citit o carte.
- Noi am plecat la timp.
Compound Past (Perfectul compus)
This is the most common past tense in Romanian. It is used to describe actions that have been completed in the past.
Examples
- Ana a văzut un film.
- Ei au fost la școală.
- Noi am mâncat deja.
The imperfect tense describes actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past. It is like saying 'I was doing' or 'I used to do' in English.
Examples
- Eu mergeam la școală în fiecare zi.
- El cânta la pian când era mic.
- Noi jucam fotbal în parc.
Pluperfect (Mai mult ca perfectul)
This tense is used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past. It's like saying 'I had done' in English.
Examples
- Eu mâncasem când ai sunat.
- El plecase înainte să ajungi.
- Noi terminaserăm tema înainte de cină.
Important Points
- Simple Past is used less frequently and mostly in written form.
- Compound Past is the most common past tense.
- Imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
- Pluperfect indicates actions completed before another past action.