Present of -i Verbs

Most Romanian verbs ending in -i are split into two main categories: those that use an -esc infix, and 'plain' verbs that do not. (A few highly irregular core verbs, like a fi and a ști, exist outside this binary categorization). The plain group includes highly frequent core vocabulary like a dormi (to sleep), a auzi (to hear), and a oferi (to offer).

To form the present tense, you generally remove the -i from the infinitive and add these endings. Most plain verbs follow this pattern:

• eu: (no ending)
• tu: -i
• el/ea: -e
• noi: -im
• voi: -iți
• ei/ele: (no ending)

For these standard verbs, the eu and ei/ele forms are exactly the same! Also, note that the -i ending for the tu form is a "whispered i" (i șoptit). It does not add a full "ee" syllable, but rather softens the preceding consonant.

The -ă Subgroup:
Some verbs, like a oferi, take -ă for both the 3rd person singular and plural: el oferă, ei oferă. Unlike the standard group, the eu and ei/ele forms here are not the same (eu ofer vs. ei oferă).

Stem Changes and Consonant Mutations:
Many of these verbs change their stem vowel or final consonant. For example, the o in a dormi changes to oa (el/ea doarme). For verbs with consonant mutations, the infinitive already contains the mutated consonant. Base letters like d and t change to z and ț when followed by an -i. This means the mutated consonant appears in the infinitive, the tu form, and the noi (-im) and voi (-iți) forms. For the examples auzi and simți, the eu, el/ea, and ei/ele forms use d and t respectively. Learn these alternations with each verb rather than reversing every written z or ț automatically. For example, the base root of a auzi is aud- (eu aud, el aude, but tu auzi, noi auzim), and for a simți it is simt- (eu simt, el simte, but tu simți, voi simțiți).

Important Irregular:
The highly frequent verb a veni (to come) is irregular and does not perfectly follow the standard pattern (eu vin, tu vii, el/ea vine, noi venim, voi veniți, ei/ele vin).

Remember that Romanian does not have a separate present continuous tense. Eu dorm translates to both 'I sleep' and 'I am sleeping.'

The -esc Pattern: A vorbi (to speak) has eu vorbesc, tu vorbești, el/ea vorbește, noi vorbim, voi vorbiți, ei/ele vorbesc. The extra suffix occurs in the singular and third-person plural. It is absent from noi and voi. Compare Eu vorbesc românește (I speak Romanian) with plain Eu dorm (I sleep).