Past Tense (Perfect Compus)
Perfectul compus is the everyday past tense of Romanian — the one you use in conversation for anything that already happened. It is a two-part form: the auxiliary a avea (am, ai, a, am, ați, au) plus the past participle of the main verb. Once you know the participle endings and where clitic pronouns slot in, you can talk about the past fluently.
The formula: auxiliary + participle
Take the reduced forms of a avea — am, ai, a, am, ați, au — and add the past participle. The participle does not change for person or gender here, which makes this tense refreshingly regular.
a face → "făcut": perfect compus
| Person | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| eu | am făcut | I did / have done |
| tu | ai făcut | you did |
| el / ea | a făcut | he / she did |
| noi | am făcut | we did |
| voi | ați făcut | you (pl.) did |
| ei / ele | au făcut | they did |
Past participle endings
The participle usually ends in -t but the vowel before it depends on the verb group. Here are the common patterns:
Participle endings by verb type
| Ending | Infinitive | Participle | Perfect compus |
|---|---|---|---|
| -at | a lucra | lucrat | am lucrat (I worked) |
| -ut | a vedea | văzut | am văzut (I saw) |
| -it | a citi | citit | am citit (I read) |
| -s | a merge | mers | am mers (I went) |
| -t | a rupe | rupt | am rupt (I tore) |
Where pronouns go
Clitic pronouns attach to the auxiliary, often with a hyphen: l-am văzut (I saw him), mi-a spus (he told me), ne-au ajutat (they helped us). The pronoun comes before the auxiliary, not before the participle.
L-am văzut ieri.
I saw him yesterday.
îl + am → l-am.
Mi-a spus adevărul.
He told me the truth.
îmi + a → mi-a.
Making it negative
Put nu before the whole thing: "Nu am mâncat" (I did not eat), "Nu l-am văzut" (I did not see him). In speech "nu am" often blends to "n-am".
Examples
Am mâncat deja.
I already ate.
Ai văzut filmul?
Did you see the movie?
A mers la piață.
He/She went to the market.
Am fost la Cluj.
I was / went to Cluj.
a fi → participle "fost".
Nu am înțeles.
I didn't understand.
Ne-au ajutat mult.
They helped us a lot.
Perfect compus — auxiliary + participle
| eu | tu | el/ea | noi | voi | ei/ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| am + part. | ai + part. | a + part. | am + part. | ați + part. | au + part. |
Common Mistakes
- Using the present auxiliary "are" instead of past "a": it is "a mers", never "are mers".
- Changing the participle for gender: in the perfect compus it stays fixed — "ea a făcut", not "a făcută".
- Putting the pronoun in the wrong place: say "l-am văzut", not "am l-văzut" or "am văzut-l".
- Forgetting irregular participles: a fi → fost, a face → făcut, a spune → spus, a veni → venit.
Lookup Tips
- Spot the pattern am/ai/a/am/ați/au + a word ending in -t/-s — that is the past tense.
- To go from infinitive to participle, most -a verbs take -at, -i verbs take -it, -ea verbs take -ut.
- For irregular verbs, check the word page — the participle is listed with the other forms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the perfect compus?
It is the compound past tense used in everyday Romanian speech: auxiliary a avea (am/ai/a/am/ați/au) + past participle, e.g. "am mâncat" = "I ate".
Does the participle change for he vs she?
No. In the perfect compus the participle is invariable: "el a plecat" and "ea a plecat" use the same "plecat".
How do pronouns work with the past tense?
Clitics attach to the auxiliary, usually hyphenated: "l-am văzut" (I saw him), "mi-a spus" (he told me), "ne-au ajutat" (they helped us).
What about the "perfect simplu" I see in books?
The simple past (perfect simplu, e.g. "făcui") is mostly literary or regional (Oltenia). For speaking, use the perfect compus.