to want, to wish
Used for desires, intentions, and preferences.
Vreau o cafea.
I want a coffee.
Nu vreau să merg.
I don't want to go.
Ce vrei să faci?
What do you want to do?
#14 · Verb · VERB
In Romanian, vrea means “to want, to wish”. It’s the #14 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
A modal verb meaning “to want”, “to wish”, or “to be going to” in some future-like contexts. It is very common and highly irregular.
neutralUsed for desires, intentions, and preferences.
I want a coffee.
I don't want to go.
What do you want to do?
Often followed by să + verb.
I want to leave now / I'm going to leave now.
He/She wants to speak with you.
They want to start tomorrow.
Common in everyday speech when asking what someone wants.
What do you want?
Would you like some water?
Do you want something to eat?
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 4 forms cover about 90% of everyday use — learn these first.
| Tense | eu | tu | el/ea | noi | voi | ei/ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | vreau | vrei | vrea | vrem | vreți | vor |
| Imperfect | voiam | voiai | voia | voiam | voiați | voiau |
| Perfect compus | am vrut | ai vrut | a vrut | am vrut | ați vrut | au vrut |
| Future | voi vrea | vei vrea | va vrea | vom vrea | veți vrea | vor vrea |
| Conditional | aș vrea | ai vrea | ar vrea | am vrea | ați vrea | ar vrea |
| Subjunctive | să vreau | să vrei | să vrea | să vrem | să vreți | să vrea |
Vreau să merg acasă.
I want to go home.
Vreau să merg acasă. - Basic use with să + verb.
Nu vrea să răspundă.
He/She doesn't want to answer.
Nu vrea să răspundă. - Negative form with third person singular.
Ce vreți de fapt?
What do you actually want?
Ce vreți de fapt? - Plural/polite form.
Common phrases built around vrea — worth learning as whole units.
lit. “I-want that” · conjugates by person: vrei să (you), vrea să (he/she)
lit. “what you-want”
lit. “I-would want” · conjugates by person: ai vrea (you), ar vrea (he/she)
lit. “you-want that you-say”
lit. “what you-want that you-say”