COMPLETE GUIDE · BEFORE PRACTICE
Greetings, introductions, and polite address
Greetings make the first useful sentences. Use polite expressions and the second-person plural verb form in formal encounters; use informal forms with friends. In introductions, I takes sunt and polite you takes sunteți.
Greeting and leave-taking
Bună ziua is polite during the day; Bună is informal. La revedere is a useful goodbye in both settings.
Bună ziua!
Good day!
La revedere!
Goodbye!
Name, country, and job
Introduce your name with Eu sunt Ana. Use Sunt din ... for origin and Sunt ... for a job. These sentences use only forms of a fi.
Eu sunt Ana.
I am Ana.
Sunt din Iran.
I am from Iran.
Sunt studentă.
I am a student (woman).
Singular and plural third person
El and ea refer to masculine or feminine singular subjects and both take este. Ei refers to masculine or mixed groups; ele to feminine groups. Both take sunt. Keep the pronoun when context does not identify the subject.
El este aici.
He is here.
Ea este aici.
She is here.
Ei sunt aici.
They (masculine or mixed) are here.
Ele sunt aici.
They (women) are here.
Formal or informal
Say Tu ești ... to a friend; address one person politely with Dumneavoastră sunteți ... . The polite verb has the plural form.
Dumneavoastră sunteți profesor?
Are you a teacher? (polite)
| Subject pronoun | a fi · to be | Note |
|---|---|---|
| eu | sunt | I |
| tu | ești | you; informal |
| el | este | he |
| ea | este | she |
| noi | suntem | we |
| voi | sunteți | you; plural informal |
| ei | sunt | they; masculine or mixed |
| ele | sunt | they; feminine |
| dumneavoastră | sunteți | you; polite singular or plural |
Read each example with its meaning, listen, then make a new sentence without looking at the table. The guide remains available throughout the practice.