Pattern
A avea (to have) is irregular. Present: am, ai, are, avem, aveți, au.
Explanation
A avea is essential — used for possession, age, and as the auxiliary for the perfect compus. The 1sg am is short and easy. The 3sg are (he/she has) is irregular — you'd expect avă by analogy, but it's are. The plural forms avem, aveți, au follow more predictably.
Note the overlap: am (1sg "I have") is also the perfect compus auxiliary for both eu and noi ("am mers" — I went / we went). As a full verb, though, the 1pl is always avem: Eu am o carte (I have a book), Noi avem o casă (We have a house). Noi am o casă is wrong.
In the perfect compus, a avea itself is conjugated: am avut, ai avut, a avut, am avut, ați avut, au avut (I had, you had, etc.). This double am in am avut is normal and required.
Conjugation
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu (I) | am |
| tu (you, informal) | ai |
| el/ea (he/she) | are |
| noi (we) | avem |
| voi (you pl.) | aveți |
| ei/ele (they) | au |
Examples
| Romanian | English |
|---|---|
| Eu am o pisică. | I have a cat. |
| Tu ai copii? | Do you have children? |
| El are o problemă. | He has a problem. |
| Noi avem doi câini. | We have two dogs. |
| Voi aveți timp? | Do you (pl.) have time? |
Common mistakes
- Saying "avă" for 3sg: It's are, not avă.
- Saying "noi am" for "we have": the 1pl of a avea is avem (Noi avem timp). Am is 1pl only as an auxiliary: am mers (we went), am merge (we would go).
- Saying "eu are": 3sg are only works for el/ea.