A1 · U03

I Am. I Have.

The Verbs `a fi` and `a avea`

The Vibe

Who you are and what you have

At the entrance to a meetup, you get a name badge and have to say a few words about yourself. Someone mentions they have a dog, Maya has a laptop and a book in her backpack, and Luca keeps switching between eu sunt and eu am. In this unit, you take the two most frequent Romanian verbs and use them in real mini-scenes immediately.

By the end of this unit you can

  • say who you are and who someone else is
  • say what you or someone else has
  • recognize `a fi` and `a avea` forms in short exchanges
  • build a mini profile in 2-4 lines

Two verbs that carry half of A1

`a fi` and `a avea` should become instantly recognizable. Do not memorize them as an abstract chart only; store them as chunks like `eu sunt`, `tu ești`, `eu am`, `el are`.

Person `a fi` `a avea`
eu sunt am
tu ești ai
el / ea este / e are
noi suntem avem
voi sunteți aveți
ei / ele sunt au

Grammar Hack

`este` / `e`

Both mean 'is'. In everyday Romanian, the short `e` is extremely common.

`eu sunt`

Use it for identity and simple self-description: `Eu sunt Maya.`

`eu am`

This is the direct 'I have' pattern, not an English-style workaround.

Learn chunks

Store `tu ești?`, `ai un...?`, and `are o...?` as ready-made micro-lines.

Positive first

At this stage, it matters more to build clean positive lines confidently.

Where these forms are needed right away

`a fi` = identity and description

Use it to say who someone is, who you are, or what role a person has.

  • Eu sunt Maya.
  • Tu ești Luca?
  • El este student.

`a avea` = things, pets, possession

Use it for what you have in your bag, at home, or around you.

  • Eu am un laptop.
  • Ea are un câine.
  • Avem cafea și apă.

Unit vocabulary

  • student
  • profesor
  • prieten
  • câine
  • carte
  • laptop
  • rucsac
  • cafea
  • apă
  • nume

Ready-made phrases

  • Eu sunt student.
  • Tu ești Luca?
  • El e profesor.
  • Eu am un laptop.
  • Ea are un câine.
  • Avem cafea.

Nice to Know: the short `e` in real speech

Instead of `este`, you will very often hear just `e`: `El e student`, `Ea e aici`. This matters early because otherwise real speech sounds faster and stranger than the textbook.

Mini dialogue: meeting at an event

Luca
Bună! Tu ești Maya?
Maya
Da, eu sunt Maya. Tu ești Luca?
Luca
Da! Eu am un laptop și o carte.
Maya
Super! Eu am o carte și un câine. El e student?
Luca
Da, el e student. Eu am un câine acasă.
Maya
Ce drăguț! Avem cafea acolo?

Notice how Luca and Maya use simple phrases with `a fi` and `a avea` in real conversation. Try to understand each line before checking the translation.

Practice in this unit

  • ● Chunk Match
  • ● Profile Fill
  • ● Backpack Check
  • ● Fast Conjugation
  • ● Who Is It?
  • ● Mini Profile
  • ● Active or Passive?
  • ● Verb Fill
  • ● Dialogue Choice

Shadowing: profile + backpack inventory

Listen in chunks: first the `a fi` lines, then the `a avea` lines. Repeat until the forms feel like ready-made pieces rather than isolated words.

Eu sunt Maya. Tu ești Luca? Da, eu sunt Luca. Eu am un laptop și o carte. Ea are un câine. Noi avem cafea și apă.

Flashcards and pronunciation

This unit especially benefits from short chunks such as `eu sunt`, `eu am`, and `el are`, not just isolated vocabulary. Use them as ready-made speech blocks.

Checkpoint

  • ✓ I recognize `sunt`, `ești`, `este/e`, `am`, `ai`, `are`
  • ✓ I can say who I am and who this person is
  • ✓ I can say what I have in my backpack
  • ✓ I can build a 2-4 line mini profile

Flashcards

1 / 20
eu sunt
I am ...
tu ești
you are ...
el e
he is ...; short spoken form
eu am
I have
tu ai
you have
ea are
she has
student
student
profesor
teacher; professor
câine
dog
carte
book
laptop
laptop
rucsac
backpack
cafea
coffee
apă
water
noi suntem
we are ...
ei sunt
they are ...
noi avem
we have
ei au
they have
prieten
friend; masculine
acasă
home; at home

Exercises

Chunk Match

Match each phrase start with the correct chunk.

eu ...
tu ...
eu ... un laptop
ea ... un câine

Profile Fill

Fill in the correct form of `a fi` or `a avea`.

Eu ___ Maya.
Tu ___ Luca?
El ___ profesor.
Eu ___ un laptop.
Ea ___ un câine.

Backpack Check

Look at the meaning cue and give the Romanian model line.

I have a book
I have a laptop
We have coffee
She has a dog

Fast Conjugation

Sort the forms by verb.

sunt
ești
este / e
am
ai
are

Who Is It?

Fix the profile: the verb forms are mixed up.

Ea sunt profesoară. Ea am un câine.

Active or Passive?

Choose the answer that correctly describes the verb function or form.

What is true about the verb `a fi`?

Pick the correct form for `eu` with the verb `a avea`

What does the girl say about herself?

Verb Fill

Fill in the correct form of `a fi` or `a avea`.

Noi ___ student.
Voi ___ o carte?
Ei ___ profesori.
Ele ___ cafea.
Tu și eu ___ în București.

Dialogue Choice

Match each situation with the right line.

I say who I am professionally
I ask who is in front of me
I say what someone else has
I ask about something we might have

Mini Profile

Build a 3-4 sentence mini profile. You can speak informally or formally.

1.Say who you are.

2.Say what you have.

3.Add one more line about another person.

Practice saying this out loud.