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zâmbi

to smile /zɨmˈbi/

verb#4002 most common

Also: to grin

Example sentences

Copilul zâmbește.
The child smiles.
Ea zâmbește fericită la telefon.
She smiles happily on the phone.
Când m-a văzut, mi-a zâmbit călduros.
When he saw me, he smiled at me warmly.
Deși era tristă, a încercat să zâmbească.
Although she was sad, she tried to smile.
Bătrânul zâmbi ușor, amintindu-și de tinerețea lui.
The old man smiled slightly, remembering his youth.
Deși știa că totul se prăbușește, zâmbi cu o resemnare stranie, de parcă ar fi anticipat sfârșitul.
Although he knew everything was collapsing, he smiled with a strange resignation, as if he had foreseen the end.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgzâmbesczâmbiivoi zâmbi
2sgzâmbeștizâmbișivei zâmbi
3sgzâmbeștezâmbiva zâmbi
1plzâmbimzâmbirămvom zâmbi
2plzâmbițizâmbirățiveți zâmbi
3plzâmbesczâmbirăvor zâmbi

Word family

zâmbeta smile
zâmbitorsmiling, cheerful-looking
zâmbitoaresmiling (feminine form)
zâmbindsmiling (gerund, used adverbially)

Etymology

The origin of "zâmbi" is not firmly established. Romanian dictionaries generally list it as uncertain, unlike most Romance smile-words, which descend from Latin "subridere". Some scholars treat it as a native expressive or onomatopoeic formation rather than a borrowing. Because no solid source language has been confirmed, no Indo-European root is given here.

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