Learn Romanian › provoc

provoc

I provoke /proˈvok/

verb#4359 most common

Also: I cause, I challenge, I incite

Example sentences

Eu provoc un coleg la șah.
I challenge a colleague to a game of chess.
Nu vreau să provoc un scandal.
I don't want to cause a scandal.
Dacă îl provoc prea mult, se va enerva.
If I provoke him too much, he'll get angry.
Cu glumele mele, provoc mereu râsul colegilor.
With my jokes, I always provoke laughter from my colleagues.
Jurnalistul provoacă autoritățile prin întrebări incomode.
The journalist provokes the authorities with awkward questions.
Prin retorica sa ambiguă, autorul provoacă cititorul să își reconsidere convingerile.
Through his ambiguous rhetoric, the author provokes the reader to reconsider his convictions.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgprovocprovocaivoi provoca
2sgprovociprovocașivei provoca
3sgprovoacăprovocăva provoca
1plprovocămprovocarămvom provoca
2plprovocațiprovocarățiveți provoca
3plprovoacăprovocarăvor provoca

Word family

a provocato provoke, to cause
provocareprovocation, challenge
provocatorprovocateur, instigator
provocatorprovocative, instigating
provocativprovocative

Etymology

Romanian "a provoca" comes from French "provoquer", itself from Latin "provocare", built from "pro-" (forward) and "vocare" (to call). The original sense was a legal one: to call someone forth, as in summoning them to a challenge or trial. Romanian kept both the literal sense of challenging someone and the extended sense of causing a reaction.

Learn Romanian the way that sticks.
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,027 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free

More Romanian words

inchisoareprisonintermediuinterludevorbească(that) he/she speakbugetbudgetboxboxing (the combat sport)sacrusacredoutout (no longer fashionable, no longer popular)