How to Use Mai Mult Ca Perfectul (Past Perfect) in Romanian

Understanding Mai Mult Ca Perfectul: The Romanian Past Perfect Tense

Mai Mult Ca Perfectul, also known as the past perfect tense in Romanian, is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action. It is equivalent to the English past perfect tense, such as "had done" or "had seen." This tense helps to establish a clear sequence of events in the past.

When to Use Mai Mult Ca Perfectul

Use Mai Mult Ca Perfectul to express an action that happened before another past action or moment. For example, in the sentence "Am plecat după ce el plecase" (I left after he had left), the action of him leaving happened before the action of me leaving.

Forming Mai Mult Ca Perfectul in Romanian

Mai Mult Ca Perfectul is formed by combining the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb "a fi" (to be) with the past participle of the main verb. The structure is:

• Imperfect of a fi (to be): fusesem, fuseseși, fusese, fuseserăm, fuseserăți, fuseseră
• Past participle of the main verb (usually formed by adding -t or -ut to the verb stem)

For example, the verb a merge (to go) in Mai Mult Ca Perfectul for "I had gone" is fusesem mers.

Examples of Mai Mult Ca Perfectul in Sentences

• Fusesem terminat temele înainte să vină prietenii. (I had finished the homework before the friends came.)
• Fusese plecat când am ajuns la petrecere. (He had left when I arrived at the party.)
• Fuseseră deja acasă când a început ploaia. (They had already been home when the rain started.)

Common Irregular Past Participles

Some Romanian verbs have irregular past participles. Here are a few common ones:

• a fi – fost
• a face – făcut
• a veni – venit
• a vedea – văzut

Tips for English Speakers Learning Mai Mult Ca Perfectul

Since Mai Mult Ca Perfectul corresponds closely to the English past perfect, English speakers can often translate directly. However, remember that Romanian uses the auxiliary verb a fi in the imperfect tense, not a avea (to have) as in English.

Practice forming sentences by identifying two past actions and expressing which happened first using Mai Mult Ca Perfectul.