Irregular Subjunctives

Level 3

The subjunctive mood is essential in Romanian, triggered by verbs of desire, necessity, or possibility. While most verbs follow a predictable 'flip' in the 3rd person, the most common verbs—a fi (to be), a avea (to have), a veni (to come), a da (to give), and a lua (to take)—have irregular forms you must memorize.

How It Works

In Romanian, the să construction is used far more often than the infinitive. For these five key verbs, pay attention to these specific shifts:

  • a fi (to be): This is the most irregular. The forms are: să fiu, să fii, să fie, să fim, să fiți, să fie. Note the double 'i' in the 2nd person singular (să fii).
  • a avea (to have): The 3rd person (singular and plural) changes from are/au to să aibă.
  • a veni (to come): While the 3rd person să vină follows a standard vowel flip, the 2nd person singular să vii is a common spelling trap (double 'i').
  • a da (to give): The 3rd person becomes să dea (instead of dă).
  • a lua (to take): The 3rd person is să ia. Note that the 1st and 2nd person plural stems change to lu- (să luăm, să luați).

These forms are required after triggers like trebuie să (must) or vreau să (I want to).

Examples (5)

  1. Vreau să fii fericit.

    I want you to be happy.

    Word by Word: I-want that (you) be happy.

    Uses the irregular 2nd person singular of 'a fi' (să fii) with the mandatory double 'i'.

  2. E important să aibă curaj.

    It is important that he/she has courage.

    Word by Word: Is important that (he/she) have courage.

    Demonstrates the irregular 3rd person form 'să aibă' for 'a avea'.

  3. Trebuie să vină mâine.

    He/she/they must come tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Must that (he/she/they) come tomorrow.

    Shows 'să vină', which serves as both the 3rd person singular and plural for 'a veni'.

  4. Te rog să-mi dai o carte.

    I ask you to give me a book.

    Word by Word: You (I) ask that-to-me (you) give a book.

    Uses the subjunctive of 'a da' combined with a clitic pronoun.

  5. Vrem să luăm cina împreună.

    We want to have dinner together.

    Word by Word: (We) want that (we) take dinner together.

    Shows the stem change in 'a lua' for the 1st person plural (să luăm).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indicative 'are' instead of the subjunctive 'aibă'.

    Vreau să are o mașină.
    Vreau să aibă o mașină.

    After 'să', you must use the subjunctive form. 'Are' is indicative; 'aibă' is the correct irregular subjunctive for the 3rd person.

  • Spelling 'să fii' or 'să vii' with only one 'i'.

    Trebuie să fi punctual.
    Trebuie să fii punctual.

    These specific second-person singular forms have two i letters: să fii, să vii, să știi. This is not a rule for every infinitive ending in -i: compare să dormi.

  • Using the non-standard form 'să aibe'.

    E bine să aibe timp.
    E bine să aibă timp.

    While 'să aibe' is heard in casual speech, 'să aibă' is the only correct form in standard literary Romanian.

How It Connects

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Irregular SubjunctivesLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn irregular subjunctive forms like 'să fie' or 'să aibă', you first need to understand the basic 'să' construction and how the subjunctive mood generally functions in Romanian. Since these irregularities often appear in the third person, familiarity with third-person subjunctive patterns is essential, as is a basic knowledge of the present indicative forms of these common irregular verbs.

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fiveni