Learn Romanian › așteptam
așteptam
I was waiting /aʃtepˈtam/
verb#1445 most common
Also: we were waiting, I used to wait, I was expecting
Example sentences
Te așteptam la ușă.
I was waiting for you at the door.
Așteptam autobuzul în fiecare dimineață.
I used to wait for the bus every morning.
Așteptam un telefon important când s-a stricat internetul.
I was waiting for an important call when the internet went down.
Nu știam dacă mai vine, dar tot îl așteptam cu speranță.
I didn't know if he was still coming, but I kept waiting for him hopefully.
Așteptam de ore întregi un răspuns care nu mai venea.
I had been waiting for hours for an answer that wasn't coming.
Deși știam că șansele erau mici, așteptam totuși o minune.
Although I knew the chances were slim, I was still waiting for a miracle.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | aștept | așteptai | voi aștepta |
| 2sg | aștepți | așteptași | vei aștepta |
| 3sg | așteaptă | așteptă | va aștepta |
| 1pl | așteptăm | așteptarăm | vom aștepta |
| 2pl | așteptați | așteptarăți | veți aștepta |
| 3pl | așteaptă | așteptară | vor aștepta |
Word family
așteptato wait, infinitiveașteptarewaiting, expectationașteptatawaited, expected
neașteptatunexpected
Etymology
Romanian aștepta descends from Latin adspectare, the frequentative form of adspicere, meaning to watch or look toward something in anticipation. The prefix ad- fused onto the verb stem over centuries, and the sense drifted from watching to waiting. Italian preserves the same root almost unchanged in aspettare, which still means to wait. Așteptam is simply the imperfect tense of this verb, used for waiting that was ongoing in the past.
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