too (excessively)
In front of an adjective or an adverb. Always a complaint or a warning, never neutral.
prea scump
too expensive
prea târziu
too late
#96 · Adverb
prea
In Romanian, prea means “too (excessively)”. It’s the #96 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Prea is "too" in the sense of excess — prea cald, "too hot", prea târziu, "too late". Rank 96, invariable, and it is the word foarte is not: foarte is "very" and approves, prea is "too" and complains. Under a negation it changes job entirely: nu prea means "not really", and it is one of the most Romanian ways to soften a no.
neutraltoo much / too many (prea mult, prea mulți)
To reach a verb or a noun, prea needs mult in between, and mult then agrees with the noun.
Vorbești prea mult.
You talk too much.
prea multe întrebări
too many questions
not really / not very (nu prea)
Under a negation it becomes a softener. Nu prea îmi place is a polite way of saying you dislike something.
Nu prea știu.
I don't really know.
Nu prea am timp.
I haven't got much time.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
prea100%
Patterns
Invariable, and always directly in front of what it targets — an adjective, an adverb, or mult. It cannot attach to a verb on its own, and it cannot form a superlative: for "the most" Romanian uses cel mai.
prea + adjective
The core "too" — excess, and usually a complaint.
E prea mic.
It's too small.
prea mult / prea multe
The obligatory bridge to a verb or a noun; mult agrees.
Costă prea mult.
It costs too much.
nu prea
The softener — "not really", "not much".
Nu prea îmi place.
I don't really like it.
prea … ca să
Too … to — the consequence clause.
E prea târziu ca să mai sun.
It's too late to call now.
Examples
E prea cald aici.
It's too hot in here.
prea - The core use, in front of an adjective. Replacing prea with foarte would turn a complaint into an observation.
Ai băut prea mult.
You've drunk too much.
prea mult - To modify a verb, prea needs mult. The bare *prea after a verb is ungrammatical, exactly as with foarte.
Nu prea cred.
I don't really think so.
nu prea - The softener. Romanians reach for nu prea constantly to avoid a flat refusal.
Sunt prea multe lucruri de făcut.
There are too many things to do.
prea multe - mult agrees with the noun — multe for the neuter plural lucruri — while prea itself never changes.
Nu e prea departe.
It isn't too far.
prea - Under a negation the sense slides from "too" towards "particularly", reassuring rather than complaining.
Prea and foarte are not interchangeable. Foarte bun means "very good" and is a compliment; prea bun means "too good" and is a problem. Choosing the wrong one reverses your opinion.
In expressions
Common phrases built around prea — worth learning as whole units.
nu prea— not really, not very
lit. “not too”