Romanian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Romania and Moldova, as well as in some parts of Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria and Ukraine. It is useful to know the language if travelling in Romania, especially in rural areas, and even though nowadays nearly everyone knows some English, your experience in the country will be so much better and friendlier if you speak the local language.
Romanian is a fairly difficult language to learn and speak, due to its complicated grammar. It is, however, fairly similar to Italian, and, to an extent, French, so speakers of these languages are more at an advantage.
Note that in Romanian, there is a formal and informal form when addressing people. The informal is tu (you) and the formal is voi (also plural). This is similar to the French construction, and, to an extent, German. Use tu when addressing friends or people you know well. When addressing strangers, use Dumneavoastră or voi (Dumneavoastră is used instead of the name, like Sir in English, voi is used as a pronoun, like you).
Pronunciation Guide
Even though Romanian pronunciation is very phonetic, a lot of foreigners find it hard to speak it, especially English speakers. The accent and sounds are very similar to Italian (with slight Slavic influences), so remember to sound every letter clearly. Also, sounds very rarely differ between words (i.e. the letter i is always pronounced the same, everytime, unlike in English).
Like English, Romanian has secondary stresses in words. We have not attempted to represent those here.
Questions in Romanian that end with a verb often use a rising tone on the last syllable or two.
like 'i' in "dip" when in the middle or start of a word. When at the end, it is barely sounded - for example, in the word Bucureşti, it is pronounced Boo-KOO-resht with a very short and slight i - never pronounce it as Boo-KOO-reshtee. The terminal "i" causes a slight "softening" of the preceding consonant. The few Romanian words with a very strong terminal "i" sound are spelled with a double "i" ("ii"). Hear the sound for i
like 'a' in "digital". This sound is usually mispronounced (people tend to pronounce it like 'u' in 'cup', but in fact, this sound is frequently found in English. When seeing ă always think of the sound in the rather than in bra Hear the sound for ă
â, î
no precise English equivalent - it's best to hear it being spoken. â and î are the same sound in Romanian. î is used at the beginning of words, â in all other cases. The closest American English sound is the ""oo"" in "book", but it's a bit shifted toward a "soft 'i'", as in "it". Hear the sound for â, î
Consonants
b
like 'b' in "bed"
c
like 'ch' in "cheese" (like Italian 'c') when followed by 'e' or 'i', otherwise like 'k'
d
like 'd' in "dog"
f
like 'f' in "federation"
g
like 'g' in "gym" when followed by 'e' or 'i', otherwise like 'g' in "gear"
h
like 'h' in "help" (never silent in Romanian)
j
like the French 'j' in "Bonjour" - closest English equivalent is the "s" in "pleasure" Hear the sound for j
k
like 'c' in "cat"
l
like 'l' in "love"
m
like 'm' in "mother"
n
like 'n' in "nice"
p
like 'p' in "pig"
q
like 'k' in "king" (this sound is rarely used in Romanian)
usually dipthongized, like the "a" in the East-coast American English "cat" or "sat". However, this letter pair is not always a diphthong.
Common digraphs
ch
like 'c' in "collar" (hard sound)
gh
like 'g' in "giving"
Phrase list
NOTE: The pronunciation guides in brackets beside each word only act as guides, due to the fact that they will make the Romanian word have a strong English accent. To get a better pronunciation, it is generally better to look at the Pronunciation Guide above and learn the right pronunciation for each letter (this is easier than it sounds). Throughout the following, "ooh" is pronounced roughly as in "oo" in "book"; "oo" without the "h" is as in "boot".
Basics
Hello.
"Salut." (sah-LOOT)
How are you?
"Ce mai faci?" (chay my FOTCH)
Fine, thank you.
"Mulţumesc, bine." (mool-tzu-MESK BEE-nay)
What is your name? (formal)
"Cum vă numiţi? (coom vuh noo-MEETZ)
What's your name? (informal)
"Cum te cheamă? (coom tay KYAHM-uh)
My name is ______.
"Numele meu e ______." (NOO-meh-leh MAY-oo yay ______.)
Nice to meet you.
"Încantat" (oohn-kahn-taht) or "Îmi pare bine" (OOHM pah-reh BEE-nay)
Please
"Vă rog" (vuh ROHG; usually follows the request.)
Thank you
"Mulţumesc" (mool-tzu-MESC)
Thank you very much
"Mulţumesc bine" (mool-tzu-MESK BEE-nay)
You're welcome
"Cu placere" (koo plah-CHAIR-eh)
Yes
"Da" (DAH)
No
"Nu" (NOO)
Excuse me. (Getting attention)
"Pardon" (pahr-DOHN) or "Vă rog" (vuh ROHG)
Excuse me. (begging pardon, moving through crowd)
"Pardon" (pahr-DOHN)
I'm sorry
"Îmi pare rău" (oohm pah-reh RAUH)
Good-bye
"La revedere" (lah reh-veh-DEH-reh)
Bye
"Pa" ("PAH"; in informal occasions in Transylvania - "Servus" [sehr-VOOS])
Normally, to say "at" a time, one precedes the same form given above with "la", thus:
at noon
la prânz (la PROOHNZ)
one o'clock PM
la treisprezece ore (la TRAY-spreh-zeh-cheh ORH-eh)
at midnight
la miezul nopţii (laj mee-EZ-ool NWHOP-tzee)
Duration
one minute
un minut (oon meen-OOT)
_____ minutes
_____ minute (_____ meen-OOT-ay)
one hour
o oră (OH OHR-ah)
_____ hours
_____ ore (OHR-eh)
one day
o ziuă (OH ZYOO-ah)
_____ days
_____ zile (_____ ZEE-leh)
one week
o săptămână (OH suhpt-uh-MOOH-nuh)
_____ weeks
_____ săptămâni (_____ suhpt-uh-MOOHN)
one month
o lună (OH LOO-nuh)
_____ months
_____ luni (LOON-ee; the last syllable almost vanishes)
one year
un an (oon AHN)
_____ years
_____ ani (AHN-ee; the last syllable almost vanishes)
Note: For all of the above, the correct, literary way to express duration is by saying una oră, una ziuă, una săptămână... instead of o oră, o ziuă, o săptămână, but this is never really used in speech, even if the context is very formal. Therefore, it is much easier to learn that o is used to express one or a in the case of minute, hour, month, etc, not una. This is because all of these nouns are feminine. With year, which is masculine, un is used (as in, un an - one year).
Days
today
astăzi(ast-AHZ)
yesterday
ieri (yehr)
tomorrow
mâine (MUY-neh)
this week
săptămâna asta (sehp-teh-MUHN-a AHS-tah)
last week
săptămâna trecută (sehp-teh-MUHN-a treh-COOT-a)
next week
săptămâna viitoare (sehp-teh-MUHN-a vee-toe-A-reh - no real English pronunciation equivalent)
Sunday
duminică (doo-MEEN-ee-ka)
Monday
luni (loohn)
Tuesday
marţi (mahrtz)
Wednesday
miercuri (mee-EHR-coor)
Thursday
joi (zhoy)
Friday
vineri (vee-NEHR)
Months
January
ianuarie (YA-nooh-AH-ree-eh)
February
februarie (FEB-ru-AH-ree-eh)
March
martie (MAR-tee-eh)
April
aprilie (ah-PRIL-ee-eh)
May
mai (my)
June
iunie (YOO-nee-eh)
July
iulie (YOO-lee-eh)
August
august (ow-GOOST)
September
septembrie (sehpt-EHM-bree-eh)
October
octombrie (oct-OHM-bree-eh)
November
noiembrie (noi-EHM-bree-eh)
December
decembrie (detch-EHM-bree-eh)
Writing time and date
16 Ian 2004 3:30 (or 16 ianuarie 2004 3:30).
date may also be written 16/01/04 or 16-01-04.
1 Aug 2004 20:00 (or 1 august 2004 20:00).
date may also be written 01/08/04 or 01-08-04.
Colors
NOTE: ah in English represents the sound 'a' as in "far"
black
negru (NEH-groo)
white
alb (ahlb)
gray
gri (gree)
red
roşu (ROH-shoo)
blue
albastru (ahlb-AH-stroo)
yellow
galben (GAHLB-en)
green
verde (VEHR-deh)
orange
portocaliu (pohr-toh-KAH-lee-oo)
purple
mov (mohv)
brown
maro (mah-roh)
Transportation
Bus and Train
How much is a ticket to _____?
Cât costa un bilet până la _____? (COOHT KOHS-tah OOHN bee-LEHT POOHN-ah LAH _____?)
One ticket to _____, please.
Un bilet până la _____, vă rog. (OON bee-LEHT POOHN-ah LAH _____, vuh ROHG)
Where does this train/bus go?
Unde merge trenul/autobuzul ăsta? (OON-day MAIR-jeh TREHN-ool/OW-toh_BOOZ-ool AH-stah?)
Where is the train/bus to _____?
Unde este trenul/autobuzul pentru _____? (OON-day YES-teh TREHN-ool/OW-toh_BOOZ-ool PEHN-troo _____?)
Does this train/bus stop in _____?
Trenul/autobuzul ăsta opreşte la _____? (TREHN-ool/OW-toh-BOOZ-ool A-stah OH-presh-teh lah _____?)
When does the train/bus for _____ leave?
Când pleacă trenul/autobuzul de _____ ? (COOHND PLACK-uh TREHN-ool/OU-toh_BOOZ-ool DEH _____) This may be incorrect. I'm not a native speaker, but I'd expect this to mean "the train/bus from ______" not "...for (/to) ______", which is what we need. Would a native speaker please verify? -- Jmabel 06:43, 3 Jan 2004 (EST)
When will this train/bus arrive in _____?
Când ajunge trenul/autobuzul ăsta la _____? (COOHND ah-ZHOON-jeh TREHN-ool/OW-toh-BOOZ-ool A-stah lah _____?)
Directions
How do I get to _____ ?
Cum ajung la _____ ? (COOM ah-ZHOONG la _____ ?)
...the train station?
... gară? (GAH-rah)
...the bus station?
...staţia de autobuz? (STAH-tzee-ah deh OW-toe-booz)
...the airport?
...aeroport? (EYE-ro-port)
...downtown?
centrul oraşului...? (CHEHN-trool or-AH-shoo-looy)
Cât costa o camera pentru o persoană / pentru doua persoane? (COOHT KOHS-tah oh KAHM-eh-rah pehn-troo OH pehrss-WAH-nuh... / pehn-troo DOH-ah pehrss-WAH-neh)
Does the room come with...
Camera vine cu... (CAH-meh-rah VEEN-eh KOO...)
...bedsheets?
...aşternuturi? (ah-shter-NOOT-oor)
...another blanket?
...încă o patură (OOHN-cuh oh PAH-too-ruh)
...a bathroom?
...baie? (BYE-eh)
...a telephone?
...telefon? (teh-leh-FOHN-ool)
...a TV?
...televiziune? (teh-leh-veez-ee-OON-eh)
May I see the room first?
Pot să văd camera întâi? (poht suh VOOHD CAH-meh-rah oohn-TOOH-ee)
Do you have anything quieter?
Aveţi ceva mai liniştit? (ah-VEHTS CHEH-vah MY LEEN-eesh-TEET)
...bigger?
...mai mare? (MY MAH-reh)
...cleaner?
...mai curat? (MY koo-RAHT)
...cheaper?
...mai ieftin? (MY yef-TEEN)
OK, I'll take the room.
Bine. Vreau camera. (BEEN-eh. VROW KAH-meh-rah)
I will stay for one night.
Eu rămân pentru o noapte. (YO ruh-MOOHN PEHN-troo oh NWHOP-teh)
I will stay for _____ nights.
Eu rămân ______ noapte. (YO ruh-MOOHN _____ NOPTZ
Can you suggest another hotel?
Puteţi recomandă alt hotel? (poot-EHTS reh-coh-MAHN-duh AHLT ho-TEHL)
La ce oră este micul dejun / cina? (lah CHEH OH-rah yes-teh MEE-kool deh-ZHOON / CHEE-nah')
Please clean my room.
Curăţaţi camera mea, vă rog. (koor-eh-TSAHTS CAH-meh-rah MEH-ah, vuh ROHG)
Can you wake me at _____? | Puteţi să mă treziţi la _____? (poo-TEHTS suh muh treh-ZEETS lah _____?)
I want to check out.
Aş vrea să achit nota şi să plec de la hotel. (ahsh VRAA suh ah-KEET NOH-tuh shee suh PLEHK deh lah ho-TEHL; the vowel sound in “vrea” is like the “a” in the English “cat”.)
Money
Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?
Acceptaţi cărţi de credit? (ock-chep-TAHTS KUHRTZ deh CREH-deet?)
Can you change money for me?
Puteţi să schimbaţi bani pentru mine? (poo-TEHTS suh skim-BAHTZ BAHN PEHN-troo MEE-nay?) or Puteţi să schimbaţi valută pentru mine? (poo-TEHTS suh skim-BAHTZ vah-LOO-tah PEHN-troo MEE-nay?)
Where can I get money changed?
Unde pot să schimb bani? (OON-deh POHT suh SKIMB BAHN?) or Unde pot să schimb valuta? (OON-deh POHT suh SKIMB vah-LOO-tah?)
Can you change a traveler's check for me?
Puteţi să schimbaţi un cec de calatorie pentru mine? (poo-TEHTS suh skim-BAHTZ oon CHECK deh cah-lah-TOH-ree-eh PEHN-troo MEE-nay?)
Where can I get a traveler's check changed?
Unde pot să schimb cecul de calatorie? (OON-deh POHT suh SKIMB CHE-cool deh cah-lah-TOH-ree-eh )
What is the exchange rate?
Cât este rata de schimb? (COOHT YES-teh RAH-tah deh SKIMB?)
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?
Unde este un bancomat? (OON-deh YES-teh OON BAHN-co-MAHT)
Eating
A table for one person/two people, please.
O masă pentru o persoană / pentru doua persoane, vă rog. (OH MAHSS-uh pehn-troo OH pehrss-WAH-nuh... / pehn-troo DOH-ah pehrss-WAH-neh, vuh ROHG)
Can I look at the menu, please?
Pot să vâd meniul, vă rog? (POHT suh voohd MEH-nyool, vuh ROHG)
Can I look in the kitchen?
Pot să mă uit în bucătărie? (POHT suh muh OOYT oohn BOO-kah-teh-ree-eh)
Is there a house specialty?
Aveţi o specialitate a casei? (ah-VETZ oh speh-chee-ah-lee-TAH-teh ah KAH-sey)
Is there a local specialty?
Aveţi o specialitate locală? (ah-VETZ oh speh-chee-ah-lee-TAH-teh loh-KAH-luh)
I'm a vegetarian.
Sunt vegetarian. (SOONT veh-jeh-tah-ree-AHN)
I don't eat pork.
Nu mănânc carne de porc. (NOO muh-NUHNK CAR-neh deh POHRK)
I don't eat beef.
Nu mănânc carne de vita. (NOO muh-NUHNK CAR-neh deh VEE-tah)
I only eat kosher food.
Mănânc numai hrana cuşer. (muh-NUHNK NOO-MY H'RAHUN-uh KOOH-sher)
Can you make it "lite", please? (i.e. less oil/butter/lard)
Puteţi să o faceţi mai puţin grasă, vă rog? (poo-TETS suh oh FAH-chetz my poo-TZIN GRAH-suh, vuh ROHG?)
fixed-price meal
meniu fix (MEN-ee-oo FIX)
a la carte
a la carte (a la KART)
breakfast
micul dejun (MEE-kool deh-ZHOON)
lunch
dejun (deh-ZHOON)
supper
cină (CHEE-nuh)
I want _____.
Vreau _____. (VROW)
More politely, comparable to "I would like"
aş vrea (AHSH VRAA; this last vowel sound is like the "a" in the English word "cat")
I want a dish containing _____.
Vreau o mâncare care conţine _____. (.VROW oh muhn-KAH-reh KAH-reh con-TZEEN-eh _____)
Note: this section added by a non-native speaker (and is incomplete). Ready for review by native speaker. Please remove this note when that is complete.
I want to rent a car.
Aş dori să închiriez o maşină. (AH-sh doh-REE sah uhn-KEE-ree-ehz oh mah-SHE-nah...)
Can I get insurance?
Pot obţin asigurare? (pot ohb-tseen ah-see-goo-RAH-reh?)
