Romanian Language
Romanian (limba română) is the official language of Romania. The name Romania, and its derivatives, come from the Latin word 'Romanus', a legacy of Roman rulers who took control of ancient Dacia in 106 A.D. Romanian retains a number of features of old Latin and also contains many words taken from the surrounding Slavic languages, as well as from French, Old Church Slavonic, German, Greek and Turkish.
Romanian is actually easier for English speakers to understand than it is assumed. If you’ve studied other Romance language, such as Italian, Spanish, French or Portuguese, you may feel at home sooner than you think. Romanian is a phonetic language, so words are pronounced as they are spelled.
A foreigner trying to learn or speak Romanian can expect positive reactions from native speakers. Most Romanian will certainly appreciate the fact that you are making an effort to speak their language.
Interesting fact:
- Romanian holds the intriguing status of being the only member of the Romance language family spoken in Eastern Europe.
Other languages used in Romania
English has quickly overtaken French as the country’s second language, especially with the young people. Communicating in English in large towns in cities should not be a problem.
English has quickly overtaken French as the country’s second language, especially with the young people. Communicating in English in large towns in cities should not be a problem.
French and German can also be useful. In the past, Romania had a sizable German minority population; nowadays the number of native German speakers is declining. However, the German language is still widely used in the Transylvania region.
Hungarian is used in Eastern Transylvania and in some cities like Miercurea-Ciuc, Târgu-Mureş, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca, Satu-Mare and in the Covasna and Harghita counties.
Other Romance languages (especially Spanish and Italian) are also studied by most people in schools and are therefore spoken with a pretty good level of fluency.
PRONOUNCIACION GUIDE
The Romanian alphabet has 31 letters, similar to the ones in the English alphabet, with the exception of five special letters called 'diacritics': ă (like the 'a' in English word 'musical'), ș (pronounced as 'sh'), ț (pronounced 'ts'), â, î (have the same reading, without an English equivalent).
Certain letters (and letter combinations) are pronounced differently than they are in English.
| Romanian Letters | Pronunciation |
| ă | as in father |
| î, â | No English equivalent |
| e | as in tell |
| i | [e] as in pick |
| j | as in leisure |
| ş | as in shoe |
| ţ | [ts] as in fits |
| ce | as in check |
| gi | [dsi] as in gin |
| ge | [dse] as in gender |
| chi | [ki] as in skill |
| che | [ke] as in chemistry |
| ghi | [gi] as in give |
| ghe | [ge] as in guess |
USEFUL WORDS / PHRASES
| ENGLISH | ROMÂNĂ | PRONUNCIATION |
| Salutations | Formule de salut | |
| Good morning. | Bună dimineaţa. | Boo-nuh di-mi-na-tsa |
| Hello/Good day. | Bună ziua. | Boo-nuh zee-wa. |
| Good evening. | Bună seara. | Boo-nuh sea-ra. |
| Good-bye. | La revedere. | La rev-eh-de-ray |
| Good night. | Noapte bună. | Nwap-te boo-nuh |
| My name is . . . | Numele meu este … | Noo-me-le meu yes-te ... |
| What is your name? | Cum vă numiţi? | Koom vuh noo-mits? |
| How are you? | Ce mai faceţi? | Che may fa-chets |
| I’m fine, thanks. | Bine, mulţumesc. | Bee-nay, mool-tsoo-mesk |
| Do you speak English? . . . Romanian? | Vorbiţi englezeşte? . . . româneşte? | Vor-bits en-gle-zesh-te . . . ro-mi-nesh-te |
| Yes, a little. No. | Da, puţin. Nu. | Da, poo-tsin. Noo. |
| Please speak slowly. | Vă rog, vorbiţi mai rar. | Vuh rog, vor-bits may rar |
| How do you say . . . ? | Cum se spune . . . ? | Koom se spoo-ne . . . ? |
| Do you understand? | Înţelegeţi? | In-tse-le-jets |
| I don’t understand. | Nu înţeleg. | Noo in-tse-leg |
| Please repeat it. | Vă rog, repetaţi. | Vuh rog, re-pe-tats |
| I’m sorry. | Îmi pare rău. | Im pa-re rau |
| Where are you staying? | Unde staţi? | Oon-de stats? |
| I’m at the … hotel. | Stau la Hotelul … | Stau la ho-te-lool … |
| Good / Very good. | Bine / Foarte bine. | Boon / Fwar-tay boo-na |
| Maybe. | Poate. | Pwa-te |
| Certainly. | Sigur. | Si-goor |
| May I ? | Se poate? | Se pwa-te? |
| Thank you. | Mulţumesc. | Mool-tsoo-mesk |
| You’re welcome | Cu plăcere | Koo pluh-che-re |
| I don’t know. | Nu ştiu. | Noo shtee-u |
| I would like... | Aş vrea... | Osh vray-a |
| ...and / or...... | şi / sau... | shee / sow |
| I have / We have | Am / Avem... | Ahm / Ah-vum |
| What are you doing? | Ce faceţi? | Che fa-chets |
| I beg your pardon? | Poftiţi? | Pof-tits |
| Excuse me... | Scuzaţi-mă. . . | Skoo-za-tsi ma |
| Here... | Aici... | Ah-eech… |
| There... | Acolo... | Ah-ko-lo |
| Toward... | Spre... | Spreh… |
| DAYS OF THE WEEK | ZILELE SĂPTĂMÂNII | |
| Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday | luni marţi miercuri joi vineri sâmbătă duminică | loon' marts' myer-koor' zho' vi-ner' sîm-buh-tuh doo-mi-ni-kuh |
| NUMBERALS | NUMERALE | |
| zero | zero | ze-ro |
| one | unu | oo-noo |
| two | doi | doy |
| three | trei | trey |
| four | patru | pa-troo |
| five | cinci | chinch' |
| six | şase | sha-se |
| seven | şapte | shap-te |
| eight | opt | opt |
| nine | nouă | no-wuh |
| ten | zece | ze-che |
| eleven | unsprezece | oon-spre-ze-che |
| twelve | doisprezece | doy -spre-ze-che |
| thirteen | treisprezece | trey -spre-ze-che |
| fourteen | paisprezece | pay-spre-ze-che |
| fifteen | cincisprezece | chinch '-spre-ze-che |
| sixteen | şaisprezece | shay-spre-ze-che |
| seventeen | şaptesprezece | shap-te-spre-ze-che |
| eighteen | optsprezece | opt-spre-ze-che |
| nineteen | nouăsprezece | no-wuh-spre-ze-che |
| twenty | douăzeci | do-wuh zech' |
| twenty-one | douăzeci şi unu | do-wuh-zech' shi oo-noo |
| twenty-two | douăzeci şi doi | do-wuh-zech' shi doy |
| thirty | treizeci | trey-zech' |
| forty | patruzeci | pa-troo- zech' |
| fifty | cincizeci | chinch'- zech' |
| sixty | şaizeci | shay- zech' |
| seventy | şaptezeci | shap-te- zech' |
| eighty | optzeci | oot-zech' |
| ninety | nouăzeci | no-whu-zech |
| one hundred | o sută | o soo-tuh |
| two hundred | două sute | do-wuh soo-te |
| MONTHS OF THE YEAR | LUNILE ANULUI | |
| January | ianuarie | ya-nwa-rye |
| February | februarie | fe-brwa-rye |
| March | martie | mar-tye |
| April | aprilie | a-pri-lye |
| May | mai | may |
| June | iunie | yu-ny |
| July | iulie | yu-lye |
| August | august | augoost |
| September | septembrie | sep-tem-brye |
| October | octombrie | ok-tom-brye |
| November | noiembrie | no-yem-bry |
| December | decembrie | de-chem-brye |
| AT THE HOTEL | LA HOTEL | |
| I have a reservation. | Am o rezervare. | Am o re-zer-va-re. |
| Do you have a double room? . . . single | Aveţi o cameră dublă? . . . single | A-vets o ka-me-ruh pen-troo do-wuh per-swa-me? . . . o per-swa-nuh |
| Do you have a room with a bath? . . . a shower . . . air conditioning . . . twin beds | Aveţi o cameră cu baie? . . . duş . . . aer condiţionat . . . două paturi | A-vets o ka-me-ruh cu ba-ye? . . . doosh . . . a-er kon-di-tsyo-nat . . . do-wuh pa-toor’ |
| What is the rate per day? | Cât costă pe zi? | Kit kos-tuh pe zi? |
| Is breakfast included? | Micul dejun e inclus? | Mic de-jun ye in-kloo-suh? |
| Your name, please? . . . address | Numele dumneavoastră, vă rog? Adresa . . . | Noo-me-le doom-nea-vwas-truh, vuh-rog? A-dre-sa . . . |
| Please wake me up at 6 am. | Vă rog, treziţi-mă la şase dimineaţa. | Vuh rog, tre-zi-tsi-muh la sha-se di-mi-nea-tsa. |
| On what floor is my room? | La ce etaj e camera mea? | La che e-tazh ye ka-me-ra mea? |
| I need ice, please . . . . another blanket . . . an electric fan . . . a heater . . . an iron . . . a light bulb . . . a pillow . . . shampoo . . . soap . . . toilet paper . . . a towel | Am nevoie de gheaţă, vă rog. . . . încă o pătură . . . un ventilator . . . un reşou . . . un fier de călcat . . . un bec . . . o pernă . . . şampon . . . săpun . . . hârtie igienică . . . un prosop | Am ne-vo-ye de gea-tsuh, vuh rog. . . . in-kuh o puh-too-ruh . . . oon ven-ti-la-tor . . . oon re-shoh . . . oon fyer de kuhl-kat . . . oon bek . . . o per-nuh . . . sham-pon . . . suh-poon . . . hîr-tee-ye i-ji-e-ni-kuh . . . oon pro-sop |
| At what time is breakfast served? | La ce oră se serveşte micul dejun? | La che o-ruh se ser-vesh-te mi-kool de-zhoon? |
| I'm leaving today. | Plec astăzi. | Plek as-tuhz'. |
| Please call a taxi | Vă rog, chemaţi un taxi. | Vuh rog, ke-ma-tsim’oon ta-xi. |
| MONEY | BANI | |
| Do you accept traveler’s checks? . . . credit card? | Acceptaţi cecuri de călătorie? . . . Carte de credit? | Ak-chep-tats’ che-koor’ de kuh-luh-to-ri-ye? . . . kar-tea as-ta de kre-dit |
| Where is a foreign currency exchange? . . . a bank | Unde e un birou de schimb valutar? . . . o bancă | Oon-de ye oon bi-row deskimb va-loo-tar? . . .o ban-ka |
| What is today’s exchange rate? | Care e cursul de schimb astăzi? | Ka-re ye koor-sool de skimb as-tuhz’ |
| Please change this to lei. | Schimbaţi-mi în lei, vă rog. | Skim-bats ‘m in lay, vuh-rog |
| TRANSPORTATION | TRANSPORT | |
| Where is the . . . metro station? . . . train station . . . bus stop . . . ticket office . . . information desk . . . exit to the street | Unde e . . . ? staţia de metrou . . . gara . . . staţia de autobuz . . . casa de bilete . . . biroul de informaţii . . . ieşirea spre stradă | Oon-de ye . . . ? . . . sta-tsya de me-troh . . . ga-ra . . . sta-tsya de a-oo-to-booz . . . ka-sa de bi-le-te? . . . bi-ro-ool de in-for-ma-tsiy . . . ye-shi-rea spre stra-duh |
| How much is a ticket ? . . . one-way . . . round-trip . . . first-class . . . second-class | Cât costă un bilet ? . . . dus . . . dus - întors . . . la clasa întâi . . . la clasa a doua | Kit kos-tuh oon bi-let ? . . . doos . . . doos shi în-tors . . . la kla-sa yn-tyi . . . la kla-sa a do-wa |
| Is there a special . . . rate? . . . college students . . . senior-citizens | Există tarif redus pentru. . .? . . . studenţi . . . pensionari | E-xis-tuh ta-rif re-doos pen-tru . . .? . . . stoo-dents' . . . pen-syo-nar' |
| Smoking or non-smoking? | Fumători sau nefumători? | Foo-muh-tor' sau ne-foo-muh-tor'? |
| TRAIN TRAVEL | CALATORIA CU TRENUL | |
| At what time does the train leave for… ? | La ce oră pleacă trenul spre …? | La che o-ruh plea-kuh tre-nool / spre ...? |
| At what time does the train get to …? | La ce oră ajunge trenul la ...? | La che o-ruh a-zhoon-je tre-nool la ...? |
| Is there a . . . ? . . . dining car . . . sleeping car | Există . . . ? . . .vagon-restaurant . . .vagon de dormit | E-xis-tuh . . . ? . . . va-gon res-ta-oo-rant . . . va-gon de dor-mit |
| BY CAR | CU MAȘINA | |
| Where can I rent a car? | Unde pot închiria o maşină? | Oon-de pot in-ki-rya o ma-shi-nuh? |
| Do you know the road to? | ştiţi drumul spre …? | Shtiu droo-mool spre… ? |
| Is the road good? . . . bad | Drumul e bun? . . . prost | Droo-mool ye boon? . . . prost |
| Which town does this road lead to? | Spre ce oraş duce drumul ăsta? | Spre che o-rash doo-che droo-mool uhs-ta |
| How many kilometers to? | Câţi kilometri sunt până la.... ? | Kits' ki-lo-me-tri sint pi-nuh la ...? |
| Could you direct me . . . ? . . . to the next town . . . to the highway . . . to the parking lot | Cum se ajunge . . . ? . . . în următorul oraş . . . pe autostradă . . . la parcare | Koom se a-zhoon-je . . . ? . . . in oor-muh-to-rool o-rash . . . pe a-oo-to-stra-duh . . . la par-ka-re |
| Is it far? | E departe? | Ye de-par-te? |
| Could you direct me to...? . . . a garage . . . a gas station | Cum se ajunge la . . . ? . . . un garaj . . . o benzinărie | Koom se a-zhoon-je la ? . . . oon ga-rash . . . o ben-zi-nuh-ree-ye |
| I need gasoline. | Am nevoie de benzină. | Am ne-vo-ye de ben-zi-nuh. |
| Please fill the tank up. | Vă rog, faceţi plinul. | Vuh rog, fa-chets' pli-nool. |
| Where can I find a mechanic? | Unde pot găsi un mecanic? | Oon-de pot guh-si oon me-ka-nik? |
| Please repair . . . . . . the tire . . . the headlight | Vă rog, reparaţi . . . . . . cauciucul . . . farul | Vuh rog, re-pa-rats' . . . . . . ka-oo-chyu-kool . . . fa-rool |
| How much will it cost? | Cât costă? | Kit kos-tuh? |
| When will it be ready? | Când e gata? | Kind ye ga-ta? |
| IMPORTANT SIGNS | SEMNE IMPORTANTE | |
| Men | Bărbaţi | Buhr-bats' |
| Women | Femei | Feh-mey |
| Toilet | W.C. | Ve-che |
| Entrance | Intrare | In-tra-re |
| Exit | Ieşire | Ye-shi-re |
| Emergency Exit | Ieşire de incendiu | Ye-shi-re de in-chen-dyu |
| Open | Deschis | Dehs-kis |
| Closed | Închis | Yn-kis |
| Subway | Metrou | Me-troh |
| Caution | Atenţie | A-ten-tsye |
| Danger | Pericol | Pe-ri-kol |
| Speed Limit | Limită de viteză | Li-mi-tuh de vi-te-zuh |
| Reduce Speed | Reduceţi viteza | Re-doo-chets' vi-te-za |
| Parking | Parcare | Par-ka-re |
| No Parking | Parcare interzisă | Par-ka-re in-ter-zi-suh |
| No Standing | Staţionarea interzisă | Sta-tsyo-na-rea in-ter-zi-suh |
| One Way Street | Stradă cu sens unic | Stra-duh koo sens oo-nik |
| Right Turn | Curbă la dreapta | Koor-buh la dreap-ta |
| Left Turn | Curbă la stânga | Koor-buh la stîn-ga |
| Dangerous Curve | Curbă periculoasă | Koor-buh pe-ri-koo-lwa-suh |
| Sharp Turn | Viraj brusc | Vi-razh broosk |
| Keep Right | Staţi pe dreapta | Stats' pe dreap-ta |
| Keep Left | Staţi pe stânga | Stats' pe stîn-ga |
| Automobiles Prohibited | Interzis pentru automobile | In-ter-zis pen-troo a-oo-to-mo-bi-le |
| Vehicles Prohibited | Interzis pentru vehicule | In-ter-zis pen-troo ve-hi-ko-le |
| No Entry | Intrarea interzisă | In-tra-rea in-ter-zi-suh |
| No Admittance | Intrarea oprită | In-tra-rea o-pri-tuh |
| Detour | Ocol | O-kol |
| Tunnel | Tunel | Too-nel |
| Bridge | Pod | Pod |
| Overpass | Pasaj superior | Pa-sazh soo-pe-ri-or de ni-vel |
| Underpass | Pasaj subteran | Pa-sazh in-fe-ri-or de ni-vel |
| This Way | Pe aici | Peh a-ich' |
| Railroad | Cale ferată | Ka-le fe-ra-tuh |
| Railroad Crossing | Trecere peste calea ferată | Tre-che-re pes-te ka-lea fe-ra-tuh |
| First Aid Station | Post de prim ajutor | Post de prim a-zhoo-tor |
| No Smoking | Fumatul interzis | Foo-ma-tool in-ter-zis |
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