How to Use the Romanian Past Tense: Perfect Compus Explained for English Speakers

Understanding the Romanian Past Tense: Perfect Compus

The Romanian past tense known as Perfect Compus is the most commonly used past tense in spoken Romanian. It is equivalent to the English simple past tense (e.g., "I ate", "She went"). This tense is used to describe actions that have been completed in the past.

How is Perfect Compus Formed?

The Perfect Compus is formed using two parts: the auxiliary verb "a avea" (to have) conjugated in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

For example, the verb "a mânca" (to eat) in Perfect Compus for "I ate" is "am mâncat".

Conjugation of the Auxiliary Verb "a avea" in Present Tense

• Eu am (I have)
• Tu ai (You have - singular informal)
• El/Ea a (He/She has)
• Noi avem (We have)
• Voi aveți (You have - plural)
• Ei/Ele au (They have)

Forming the Past Participle

The past participle is formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem, depending on the verb conjugation group:

• For verbs ending in -a (1st conjugation), replace -a with -at: a lucra → lucrat (worked)
• For verbs ending in -e (2nd conjugation), replace -e with -ut: a vedea → văzut (seen)
• For verbs ending in -i or -î (3rd conjugation), replace -i/-î with -it: a dormi → dormit (slept)

Examples of Perfect Compus in Sentences

• Eu am vorbit cu el ieri. (I spoke with him yesterday.)
• Tu ai citit cartea. (You read the book.)
• Ea a mers la piață. (She went to the market.)
• Noi am făcut temele. (We did the homework.)
• Voi ați văzut filmul? (Did you see the movie?)
• Ei au plecat devreme. (They left early.)

Common Usage Tips for English Speakers

Unlike English, Romanian uses the Perfect Compus for most past actions, even those that happened a long time ago. The simple past tense (Perfect Simplu) is rarely used in spoken Romanian and mostly appears in literature.

Remember to always conjugate the auxiliary verb "a avea" according to the subject, and then add the correct past participle form of the main verb.