How to Use the Romanian Future Tense for English Speakers

Understanding the Romanian Future Tense

The Romanian future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen in the future. Unlike English, which often uses the auxiliary verb "will," Romanian forms the future tense using a combination of an auxiliary verb and the infinitive of the main verb.

Two Ways to Form the Future Tense in Romanian

Romanian has two common ways to express the future tense: the simple future and the compound future. The compound future is more commonly used in everyday speech.

The Compound Future Tense

The compound future is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb a vrea (to want) in the present tense, followed by the infinitive of the main verb.

For example, the verb a merge (to go) in the future tense is formed as follows:

• Eu voi merge (I will go)
• Tu vei merge (You will go)
• El/Ea va merge (He/She will go)
• Noi vom merge (We will go)
• Voi veți merge (You all will go)
• Ei/Ele vor merge (They will go)

Conjugation of the Auxiliary Verb <em>a vrea</em> in Present Tense

• Eu voi
• Tu vei
• El/Ea va
• Noi vom
• Voi veți
• Ei/Ele vor

Examples of the Compound Future Tense

Here are some examples using different verbs:

• Eu voi mânca (I will eat)
• Tu vei vorbi (You will speak)
• El va scrie (He will write)
• Noi vom învăța (We will learn)
• Voi veți călători (You all will travel)
• Ei vor vedea (They will see)

The Simple Future Tense

The simple future tense is less common and is formed by adding specific endings directly to the infinitive of the verb. This form is more formal and often found in written Romanian.

For example, the verb a merge in the simple future is:

• Eu merg (I will go)
• Tu mergi (You will go)
• El/Ea merge (He/She will go)
• Noi mergem (We will go)
• Voi mergeți (You all will go)
• Ei/Ele merg (They will go)

Common Time Expressions Used with the Future Tense

• mâine (tomorrow)
• săptămâna viitoare (next week)
• în curând (soon)
• peste o lună (in a month)
• anul viitor (next year)

Practice Examples

Try translating these sentences into Romanian using the future tense:

1. I will study Romanian tomorrow.
2. They will travel next year.
3. We will eat soon.
4. You (singular) will speak with the teacher.
5. She will write a letter.