Verbs in the Reflexive Voice

These days, any foreigner who wants to learn authentic Romanian will pay little heed to grammar patterns and rules. However, today it’s…good old grammar again, as mastering the reflexive form of the verb poses real problems for non-native speakers of Romanian.


For starters, here are several useful words and phrases:


A se gindi=think


A se spala= wash


A se uita=look


A se minuna=wonder


Since the verb paradigm in the reflexive voice is rich and significantly differs from one person to another, both in the singular and the plural, here is the present simple reflexive paradigm for the verb a se minuna:


Eu ma minunez=I wonder


Tu te minunezi =You wonder


El se minuneaza =He wonders


Ea se minuneaza =She wonders


Noi ne minunam= We wonder


Voi va minunati=You wonder


Ei se minuneaza =They wonder


Ele se minuneaza=They wonder


Now let us use some of the words and phrases in meaningful, communicative patterns:


Eu ma gindesc cu nostalgie la anii de liceu.


I am nostalgic when I think about my high school years.


Tu te gindesti la mama ta ori de cite ori calatoresti in strainatate.


You think about your mother whenever you travel abroad.


Tu te speli pe miini in fiecare zi, inainte de a minca micul dejun.


You wash your hands every day before you have breakfast.


El se uita cu admiratie la noua lui masina.


He ‘s looking at his new car admiringly.


Thank you ALL for the interest you take in Romanian culture, and for being so keen on learning Romanian with us. Good Bye! La revedere!