Storytelling & Narrative Past
Povestirea în trecut (B2)
Romanian uses several past tenses depending on completion, duration and sequence. To tell a story naturally you need to mix the compound past (perfect compus) with the imperfect and the past perfect (mai-mult-ca-perfectul).
Vocabulary
Tap a card to flip · 🔊 to hear itGrammar
Imperfect vs. perfect compus
Use the imperfect for background, ongoing actions and habits in the past. Use the perfect compus for completed, foreground events that move the story forward.
- Citeam o carte când a sunat telefonul. — I was reading a book when the phone rang.
- În fiecare vară mergeam la mare. — Every summer we used to go to the seaside.
- Ieri am vizitat un muzeu. — Yesterday I visited a museum.
Mai-mult-ca-perfectul (past perfect)
Formed with the auxiliary „a avea” in a special past form + past participle. Use it for an action that happened before another past action.
- Când am ajuns, filmul deja începuse. — When I arrived, the film had already started.
- El plecase înainte să ajung eu. — He had left before I arrived.
- Mâncasem deja când m-a sunat. — I had already eaten when she called me.
Dialogue
🔊 to hear each lineGrammar worksheet
Fill in the blanksHint: perfect compus
Hint: imperfect of a fi
Hint: mai-mult-ca-perfect
Speaking practice
Listen, then repeat out loudQuiz
Answer all questions, then check your score„I was reading when he called” — choose the Romanian tenses:
Mai-mult-ca-perfect of „a pleca” (he had left):
„Every Sunday we used to walk in the park.” — pick the tense:
„În cele din urmă” means…
„Când am ajuns, filmul deja ___ .” (had started)