Present of a avea

Level 1

A avea is one of the most important verbs in Romanian. It is highly irregular in the present tense and is used not just for 'having' things, but also for telling your age and expressing needs or feelings.

How It Works

The verb a avea belongs to the 2nd conjugation (ending in -ea). It is essential to learn its unique forms because they do not follow a regular pattern.

1. Conjugation Table:

  • Eu am (I have)
  • Tu ai (You have)
  • El/Ea are (He/She has)
  • Noi avem (We have)
  • Voi aveți (You all have)
  • Ei/Ele au (They have)

2. Negation and Contractions:
To negate the verb, use nu. In spoken Romanian, nu often contracts with forms starting with a vowel: n-am, n-ai, n-are, n-avem, n-aveți, n-au.

3. The Subjunctive (să aibă):
When using the să construction, the 3rd person (singular and plural) changes to aibă (e.g., Vreau să aibă - I want him/her/them to have). This is a common trap for learners!

4. Auxiliary Function:
A avea is used to build other tenses, but it uses specific auxiliary forms that differ from the full present tense: am, ai, a, am, ați, au. These are used for the compound perfect (past tense). Note that the 3rd person singular is a (not are) and the 2nd person plural is ați (not aveți).

5. Future Tense:
In the future with o să, the verb must be in the subjunctive mood. While most forms look like the present, the 3rd person must be o să aibă (not o să are).

6. Expressing Age:
In Romanian, you don't 'are' an age; you 'have' it.
Example: Am zece ani. (I am ten years old; literally 'I have ten years').

7. Pronoun Omission:
Because each form is distinct, speakers usually practice dropping subject pronouns unless they want to emphasize who has the object.

Examples (6)

  1. Eu am o pisică neagră.

    I have a black cat.

    Word by Word: I have a cat black.

    A simple example of possession using the 1st person singular form 'am'.

  2. Câți ani ai?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How-many years have-you?

    This shows how 'a avea' is used to ask about age.

  3. Ea are dreptate mereu.

    She is always right.

    Word by Word: She has right always.

    An idiomatic use where 'a avea' replaces the English 'to be'.

  4. N-am nicio problemă.

    I don't have any problem.

    Word by Word: Not-have no problem.

    Demonstrates the common contraction 'n-am' (nu + am) used in negation.

  5. Vreau să aibă succes.

    I want them to have success.

    Word by Word: I-want that they-have success.

    Shows the irregular 3rd person subjunctive form 'aibă' used after 'să'.

  6. Ei au mult timp liber.

    They have a lot of free time.

    Word by Word: They have much time free.

    Demonstrates the 3rd person plural form 'au'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'a fi' (to be) for age.

    Sunt 20 de ani.
    Am 20 de ani.

    To say I am twenty years old, use Am 20 de ani. Sunt 20 de ani can have other meanings in context, but it does not identify the speaker’s age.

  • Confusing the 3rd person singular 'are' with the auxiliary 'a'.

    El are mâncat.
    El a mâncat.

    When 'a avea' is used to form the past tense, the form for 'he/she' changes from 'are' to 'a'.

How It Connects

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Present of a aveaLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn the present tense of 'a avea', you need to be familiar with Romanian subject pronouns, as the verb changes its form for each person. Additionally, understanding that these pronouns are often dropped in speech will help you recognize and use the verb correctly in context.

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