Learn Romanian › apuc
apuc
to grab, to seize /aˈpuk/
verb#3538 most common
Also: to catch (in time), to manage to, to head off (in a direction)
Example sentences
Eu apuc mărul de pe masă.
I grab the apple from the table.
Copilul apucă jucăria cu mâna lui mică.
The child grabs the toy with his small hand.
Dacă te grăbești, apuci trenul de ora opt.
If you hurry, you'll catch the eight o'clock train.
Nu am apucat să-i spun adevărul.
I didn't get the chance to tell him the truth.
A apucat-o pe un drum greșit încă din tinerețe.
He headed down the wrong path from a young age.
Bătrânul povestea cum apucase vremuri pe care noi nu le-am mai cunoscut.
The old man told how he had lived through times we never knew.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | apuc | apucai | voi apuca |
| 2sg | apuci | apucași | vei apuca |
| 3sg | apucă | apucă | va apuca |
| 1pl | apucăm | apucarăm | vom apuca |
| 2pl | apucați | apucarăți | veți apuca |
| 3pl | apucă | apucară | vor apuca |
Word family
apucarethe act of grabbing or seizing
apucatfrantic, wild (as in "ca apucații", like madmen)
apucăturăa habit or way of behaving, often negative
neapucatnot managed in time, missed
Etymology
The verb "a apuca" is old in Romanian and its origin is disputed. Dictionaries mark it as uncertain, with some scholars pointing to a Vulgar Latin base tied to seizing or grasping, but no form is confirmed. Because the root cannot be traced with confidence, no Proto-Indo-European root or firm cognate set is given here.
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