Learn Romanian › preface
preface
to pretend /preˈfat͡ʃe/
verb#4054 most common
Also: to feign, to turn into, to transform, to disguise oneself
Example sentences
El se preface că doarme.
He pretends to be sleeping.
Ea se preface supărată.
She pretends to be upset.
Copilul se preface bolnav ca să nu meargă la școală.
The child pretends to be sick so he doesn't have to go to school.
Nu te preface că nu mă auzi!
Don't pretend you can't hear me!
În poveste, vrăjitoarea se preface în pisică neagră.
In the story, the witch turns into a black cat.
Diplomatul se preface că nu știe nimic despre negocierile secrete, deși informațiile circulau deja în presă.
The diplomat pretends to know nothing about the secret negotiations, even though the information was already circulating in the press.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | mă prefac | mă prefăcui | mă voi preface |
| 2sg | te prefaci | te prefăcuși | te vei preface |
| 3sg | se preface | se prefăcu | se va preface |
| 1pl | ne prefacem | ne prefăcurăm | ne vom preface |
| 2pl | vă prefaceți | vă prefăcurăți | vă veți preface |
| 3pl | se prefac | se prefăcură | se vor preface |
Word family
prefăcutfake, feigned, insincere
prefăcătoriepretense, hypocrisy
prefaceretransformation, change
a faceto do, to make
Etymology
The verb comes from Latin praefacere, built from prae- ("before") and facere ("to do, to make"), the same root that gave Romanian its everyday verb a face. The reflexive form a se preface shifted in meaning from a literal "remaking" to the figurative senses of putting on a false appearance, pretending, or magically transforming into something else. Both senses, disguise and transformation, sit side by side in modern usage.
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