Understanding Romanian Future Tense: Simple and Compound Forms Explained

Introduction to Romanian Future Tense

The future tense in Romanian is used to express actions that will happen later than the present moment. For English speakers learning Romanian, understanding how to form and use the future tense is essential for effective communication.

Simple Future Tense in Romanian

The simple future tense in Romanian is formed by using the auxiliary verb a voi (to want) conjugated in the present tense, followed by the infinitive of the main verb. This form is often called the compound future because it uses two verbs.

Forming the Simple Future Tense

To form the simple future tense, follow this structure:

Subject + conjugated form of a voi + infinitive verb

For example, the verb a merge (to go):
- 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 <em>a voi</em> in Present Tense

Here is the present tense conjugation of the auxiliary verb a voi used to form the future tense:

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

Compound Future Tense (Periphrastic Future)

Romanian also uses a compound future tense, which is essentially the same as the simple future described above. The term 'compound' refers to the use of the auxiliary verb plus the infinitive. This is the most common way to express future actions in Romanian.

Examples of Compound Future Tense

- 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 veni (They will come)

Alternative Future Tense Forms

In some cases, Romanian uses the simple present tense with a future time adverb to express future actions, especially in informal speech. For example:

- Mâine plec la București. (Tomorrow I leave for Bucharest.)

However, the compound future tense is preferred for clarity and formality.

Common Time Expressions Used with Future Tense

To indicate future time, Romanian often uses adverbs and phrases such as:

• mâine – tomorrow
• peste o săptămână – in a week
• în curând – soon
• de acum înainte – from now on

Practice Examples

Try translating these sentences into Romanian using the future tense:

1. I will call you tomorrow.
2. They will travel to Romania next year.
3. We will study Romanian together.