încercau

încercau is a Romanian verb form meaning “they were trying” or “they tried.” It is the third-person plural imperfect indicative form of the verb a încerca, which means to try or to attempt. In full conjugation for the imperfect of a încerca, the forms are: eu încercam, tu încercai, el/ea încerca, noi încercam, voi încercați, ei/ele încercau.

Usage and nuance: The form describes past, ongoing, or repeated attempts. It is commonly used in narrative to convey actions that took place over a period in the past or to set the scene of attempts being made. It can introduce a subordinate clause or be part of a larger past description, for example: încercau să afle adevărul (they tried to find out the truth).

Orthography and pronunciation: The form is written încercau, with î at the beginning of the word, following Romanian spelling rules for initial vowels. The word itself comes from the verb a încerca.

Related forms: The imperfect conjugation has other persons and numbers, such as încercam (eu, noi), încercai (tu), încerca (el/ea), and încercați (voi). The base verb is a încerca; related grammatical notes can be found under imperfect (grammatical tense) and under the entry for a încerca.

See also: a încerca; imperfect indicative; Romanian verb conjugation.