Imagine you could speak Romanian well, right now.

Then imagine you were suddenly in Romania, surrounded by Romanian friends on a night out. Do you think you’d be able to keep up, linguistically speaking?

Probably yes. But culturally is another matter. Romanian people talk about Romanian things—and when you learn Romanian from half a world away, you’ll do well to learn about some of those Romanian things yourself (like Romanian TV series).

Now, let’s not pretend that Romanians don’t enjoy American and British entertainment as well. They totally do. However, any conversation that doesn’t brush against something popular that’s unique to one’s own culture is a pretty boring conversation to have.

There is, of course, a way to master the Romanian language and become deeply familiar with its culture at the same time. It’s called “watching a ton of TV.” Or more specifically, watching a ton of the most popular Romanian TV shows.

Table of Contents

1. How TV Can Be a Better Teacher than Anything Else
2. The Most Popular Romanian Shows as of 2019
3. Finding Ways to Watch Romanian Shows Online
4. Reconnect with the Romanian Childhood You Never Had
5. Conclusion

1. How TV Can Be a Better Teacher than Anything Else

People who are used to learning languages from books and teachers might be a little taken aback by this. After all, don’t you need someone to show you the ins and outs of the language to make sure you’re doing it correctly?

Well, you’d be surprised.

Romanian isn’t totally foreign to English. Tons of words come from recognizable shared roots. And that means even a complete beginner has a very rough foundation to build on.

The more you simply let your ears get used to the Romanian language, the more your brain is going to make connections all by itself.

This happens even faster when you can watch the action happening on-screen, like when you watch TV shows in Romanian. If you watch just ten episodes of some soap opera only in Romanian, I guarantee that you’ll start understanding whole words and phrases before long.

Now, although you might know someone who claimed to learn such-and-such a language to fluency just from watching cartoons, that takes a really long time. But in general, watching Romanian TV shows with English subtitles (or even without) can be an effective study tool.

TV is a fantastic supplement to a structured language-learning program, just like the one you can find here on RomanianPod101. Integrate high-quality native content into your studies, and you’ll experience massive gains. Plus, Romanian movies and TV really pack a lot of entertainment!

2. The Most Popular Romanian Shows as of 2019

1- Las Fierbinti

It might not be immediately clear to non-Romanians, but the “Las” in the title is a riff on “Las Vegas.” Fierbinti is a tiny fictional village in rural Romania, and this show is a sitcom that covers pretty much anything and everything that can happen in a small town. It’s a parody of the actual Romanian society.

The main characters are the mayor and the bartender, but of course, it includes a full cast of complex characters as well as supporting extras.

Basically, this is the show you want to watch if you’re at all interested in life outside the cities in Romania.

There are a whopping 237 fifty-minute episodes to get through, meaning that if one particular storyline doesn’t grab you, just skip around and you won’t have missed much. It’s consistently had a good following and solid reviews over its fifteen seasons, and is one of the most popular Romanian TV shows. If you want to watch it, here is a link to their official YouTube channel.

2- Secretul Mariei

Here’s another gem of Romanian television. Translating to “The Secret of Maria,” this show is about two identical twins who live very different lives. Lorena has a blissful marriage to a man from an old-money family, with the only hitch being her disapproving mother-in-law.

Maria is an exotic dancer who tries to put on a brave face and ignore the fact that she would do anything to be with her sister’s husband.

This is another long-running serial, and over the course of its 100+ episodes, you’ll see that Lorena’s life is nowhere near what it appears to be to outsiders.

3- Umbre

What else can you expect from Romania television?

Recommended to an adult audience only, this HBO Europe series aims to raise the bar for Romanian crime dramas. Taken at a glance, it’s a relatively familiar story about a working-class cab driver who secretly leads a double life as a mob enforcer. When a job goes wrong, he’s got to work double-time to keep his lives separate and make things right.

However, Umbre ( meaning “shadows” ) has some uniquely Romanian touches. More time is given on-screen to the day-to-day workings of the life of the main character, Relu.

You don’t get that as much in some other fast-paced crime dramas. And the show was actually criticized by Romanians for including a huge amount of slang and rude words in the dialogue. That makes it an extra challenge and an extra reward for the dedicated Romanian learners out there. Definitely one of the best Romanian TV shows for really learning the language.

4- Atletico Textila

A corrupt owner of a failing football team and a run-down textile factory gets locked up, and his wife has to take control, even though she doesn’t know the first thing about football management or textile factory management. Hilarity ensues as the players start getting used to the idea of playing on…that kind of team.

This is an interesting window into Romanian culture. For one thing, the idea of a woman running a football team is seen as a crucial part of the reason why the series is funny. But on the other hand, the manager is portrayed as energetic and motivating, and so the show as a whole respects her drive.

All in all, we definitely consider this one of the top Romanian TV shows. Give it a try! You can find the first episode here.

5- The Silent Valley (Valea Mută)

Here’s another HBO series for you. In addition to the high production value that HBO series are known for, this one definitely breaks new ground when it comes to famous Romanian TV shows.

It’s about two young men discovering their true romantic feelings for each other—while at the same time grappling with the brutal killings they witnessed in the Romanian wilderness. How will their relationship survive the investigation that they become central parts of?

The Silent Valley was actually based off a Norwegian series called Eyewitness. Producers knew that they were taking a risk by realistically portraying love between two young men in a show meant for a more conservative audience, but they did it anyway and were critically acclaimed for their work.

6- Jocuri de Celebritate

Of course, there’s gotta be a game show on here! The title translates to “Celebrity Games,” and the plot is simple. Two teams of contestants, with three people to a team, answer quiz questions and play games to take home 10,000-lei prize money (roughly 2,300 USD).

The twist: On one team, you’ve got two well-known celebrities plus one ordinary Romanian. That ordinary person has the chance to hang out with the biggest names in Romanian entertainment plus win the equivalent of about four months’ salary.

Game shows are actually a really good way to practice listening to Romanian. They’re not scripted, so you know that what you hear is a totally natural usage of the language.

Plus, you’ll likely hear the same set lines and explanations of the rules over and over! And of course, watching a couple of episodes of this gives you a real fast rundown of who’s who in Romania—those pop culture references aren’t gonna learn themselves!

If you’re at all interested in Romanian reality TV shows or game shows, this is a good place to start.

7- Fructul Oprit

One thing to know about Eastern and Southern Europe: They love watching Turkish soap operas. Like, seriously—the numbers show that Turkish soaps on Romanian TV channels regularly attract just as many viewers as Romanian shows. Fructul Oprit ( translating loosely to “Forbidden Fruit” ) is based on a couple of key plotlines in well-known Turkish dramas, and it was even partially filmed in Istanbul.

Its theme is, overall, love.

In upper-class old-money circles in Bucharest, the question of who will end up with whom is a serious matter for families to consider. You can’t control love, and you can’t control fate. So when tragedy strikes a single couple, the dominoes really begin to fall in all directions.

3. Finding Ways to Watch Romanian Shows Online

So, can you find these Romanian TV shows on Netflix?

Netflix, you may be surprised to hear, is available in Romania but doesn’t have any of these Romanian shows available. Give it time, though—it’s only been two years since Netflix even entered the Romanian market.

So apart from Netflix, where can you watch Romanian TV shows online?

First off, YouTube and DailyMotion are excellent sources for finding Romanian TV series online. Search for any of these shows above, and you’re practically guaranteed to find a wide selection of complete episodes available on either of these streaming sites.

Naturally, just because they’re available now, at the time of this writing, doesn’t mean they’ll stay up forever. But on the other hand, YouTube is famously lax about enforcing copyright claims for smaller countries—and some of these TV shows are popular enough that they’re just uploaded directly by the production companies! For example, Atletico Textila has the first fourteen episodes up on the network’s channel.

Outside of that, AntenaPlay is the streaming hub for the Romanian entertainment channels Antena 1, 2, and 3. You can sign up for an account if you live in Romania, or you can get a Romanian friend to give you their login information. Once you have access, you can watch quite a few of these shows on demand.

If that’s not an option or these shows haven’t done it for you so far, don’t go away yet…

4. Reconnect with the Romanian Childhood You Never Had

Sometimes it’s good to ignore all the crime drama/love triangle stories and just enjoy something more simple and laid-back. That’s where cartoons come in.

The language in cartoons is often at a similar level grammatically to what you might hear in shows for adults, but you know it’s rarely going to veer into the technical or obscure. And the audio quality is usually much better because the voices are all dubbed in a studio instead of recorded during filming.

Here are three YouTube channels popular in Romania that, between them, have about a zillion hours of Romanian cartoons for you to enjoy.

1- Robotzi

Out of the three, Robotzi is the most out-there. It’s a cartoon about robots, produced independently and definitely aimed at an audience of teenagers or older. The episodes are very short and bite-sized, and they rely on fast-paced dialogue and wordplay to get their humor across.

2- TraLaLa

As a polar opposite, this is a YouTube channel with not one, but four, different short cartoon series (six, really, but two are wordless).

As you can tell by looking at the thumbnails, these are made for younger children—but the characters speak fast with hardly any breaks. Follow along with the adventures of Vikings, forest creatures, zoo animals, and insect buddies, and watch your Romanian abilities rise to meet the challenge!

3- Cartoon Network Romania and Disney Romania

Time for the big leagues. These American kids’ entertainment juggernauts have found big popularity with Romanian dubs of their shows, and they’ve put thousands of clips online of current and classic kids’ shows dubbed into Romanian.

Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, and, rather appropriately, Hotel Transylvania, all have dozens of clips uploaded with high-quality Romanian voice tracks.

And here’s one last hint: If you can’t find a particular cartoon that you loved in your childhood on these or other official channels, use the general search terms dublat meaning “dubbed” or dublat în limba română meaning “dubbed into Romanian.” You might find what you’re looking for after all!

5. Conclusion

To get the best bang from your TV-watching buck, you should make a habit of balancing active study with passive watching.

So, say you’ve got sixty minutes in total to sit down and learn Romanian from TV shows.

Twenty minutes, or 1/3 of your actual time, should be spent watching slowly and carefully. Maybe you repeat something you watched before, maybe you write down all the new words and sentences you can hear.

The remaining 2/3 should be spent on just listening with your ears open, not pausing to look anything up, but not entirely zoning out either.

This is because when you study something new, seeing it “in the wild” is the best way to really lock it into your memory. You’ll experience a kind of rush when a previously indecipherable sentence suddenly reveals itself to be full of yesterday’s vocabulary words—and that feeling will make the memory ten times stronger.

So really, there’s no time to waste. Head on over to some of the websites linked in this article, and don’t forget to also check out the Romanian material available right here on RomanianPod101.com!

Oh, and before you go, let us know in the comments which of these Romanian TV series you want to watch first! We look forward to hearing from you!

Author: Yassir Sahnoun is a HubSpot certified content strategist, copywriter and polyglot who works with language learning companies. He helps companies attract sales using content strategy, copywriting, blogging, email marketing & more.

Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that special person? Speaking another language could revolutionize your love life! So, why wait? Learning how to say ‘love’ in Romanian could be just what you need to find it.

Or perhaps you were lucky, and have found your Romanian partner already. Fantastic! Yet, a cross-cultural relationship comes with unique challenges. Learning how to speak your lover’s language will greatly improve your communication and enhance the relationship. At RomanianPod101, our team will teach you all the words, quotes and phrases you need to woo your Romanian lover with excellence! Our tutors provide personal assistance, with plenty of extra material available to make Romanian dating easy for you.

Table of Contents

1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date
2. The Most Romantic Ideas for a Date
3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary
4. Romanian Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day
5. Romanian Quotes about Love
6. Marriage Proposal Lines
7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines
8. Will Falling in Love Help You Learn Romanian Faster?

Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date

So, you have met your Romanian love interest. Congratulations! Who knows where this could take you…?! However, the two of you have just met and you’re not ready to say the Romanian word for love just yet. Great, it is better to get to know him/her first. Wow your prospective love by using these Romanian date phrases to set up a spectacular first date.

Would you like to go out to dinner with me?

• Vrei să mergi la cină cu mine?

The important question! In most cultures, this phrase indicates: ‘I’m romantically interested in you’. Flirting in Romanian is no different, so don’t take your date to Mcdonald’s!

Are you free this weekend?

• Ești liber în acest weekend?

This is a preamble to asking your love interest on a date. If you get an immediate ‘Yes’, that’s good news!

Would you like to hang out with me?

• Ai vrea să iți petreci timpul cu mine?

You like her/him, but you’re not sure if there’s chemistry. Ask them to hang out first to see if a dinner date is next.

What time shall we meet tomorrow?

• La ce oră să ne întâlnim mâine?

Set a time, and be sure to arrive early! Nothing spoils a potential relationship more than a tardy date.

Where shall we meet?

• Unde ar trebui să ne întâlnim?

You can ask this, but also suggest a place.

You look great.

• Arăți minunat.

A wonderful ice breaker! This phrase will help them relax a bit – they probably took great care to look their best just for you.

You are so cute.

• Eşti atât de drăguță.

If the two of you are getting on really well, this is a fun, flirtatious phrase to use.

What do you think of this place?

• Cum ți se pare acest loc?

This another good conversation starter. Show off your Romanian language skills!

Can I see you again?

• Pot să te văd din nou?

So the date went really well – don’t waste time! Make sure you will see each other again.

Shall we go somewhere else?

• Să mergem în altă parte?

If the place you meet at is not great, you can suggest going elsewhere. It is also a good question to follow the previous one. Variety is the spice of life!

I know a good place.

• Știu un loc bun.

Use this with the previous question. However, don’t say if you don’t know a good place!

I will drive you home.

• Te voi conduce acasă.

If your date doesn’t have transport, this is a polite, considerate offer. However, don’t be offended if she/he turns you down on the first date. Especially a woman might not feel comfortable letting you drive her home when the two of you are still basically strangers.

That was a great evening.

• A fost o seară minunată.

This is a good phrase to end the evening with.

When can I see you again?

• Când te mai pot revedea?

If he/she replied ‘Yes’ to ‘Can I see you again?’, this is the next important question.

I’ll call you.

• O să te sun.

Say this only if you really mean to do it. In many cultures, this could imply that you’re keeping the proverbial backdoor open.

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2. The Most Romantic Ideas for a Date

You learned all the Romanian phrases to make a date – congratulations! Now you have to decide where to meet, which can be tricky. Discuss these options with your lover to gauge whether you like the same things. Check out romantic date ideas in Romanian below!

museum

• muzeu

If you’re looking for unique date ideas that are fun but won’t break the bank, museums are the perfect spot! You won’t be running out of things to say in the conversations.

candlelit dinner

• cină la lumina lumânărilor

A candlelit dinner is perhaps best to reserve for when the relationship is getting serious. It’s very intimate, and says: “Romance!” It’s a fantastic choice if you’re sure you and your date are in love with each other!

go to the zoo

• mergi la grădina zoologică

This is a good choice for shy lovers who want to get the conversation going. Just make sure your date likes zoos, as some people dislike them. Maybe not for the first date, but this is also a great choice if your lover has children – you’ll win his/her adoration for inviting them along!

go for a long walk

• fă o plimbare lungă

Need to talk about serious stuff, or just want to relax with your date? Walking together is soothing, and a habit you can keep up together always! Just make sure it’s a beautiful walk that’s not too strenuous.

go to the opera

• du-te la operă

This type of date should only be attempted if both of you love the opera. It can be a special treat, followed by a candlelit dinner!

go to the aquarium

• du-te la acvariu

Going to the aquarium is another good idea if you need topics for conversation, or if you need to impress your lover’s kids! Make sure your date doesn’t have a problem with aquariums.

walk on the beach

• fă o plimbare pe plajă

This can be a very romantic stroll, especially at night! The sea is often associated with romance and beauty.

have a picnic

• mergi la un picnic

If you and your date need to get more comfortable together, this can be a fantastic date. Spending time in nature is soothing and calms the nerves.

cook a meal together

• gătește o masă împreună

If you want to get an idea of your date’s true character in one go, this is an excellent date! You will quickly see if the two of you can work together in a confined space. If it works, it will be fantastic for the relationship and create a sense of intimacy. If not, you will probably part ways!

have dinner and see a movie

• mergi la cină și vezi un film

This is traditional date choice works perfectly well. Just make sure you and your date like the same kind of movies!

3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary

Expressing your feelings honestly is very important in any relationship all year round. Yet, on Valentine’s Day you really want to shine. Impress your lover this Valentine’s with your excellent vocabulary, and make his/her day! We teach you, in fun, effective ways, the meanings of the words and how to pronounce them. You can also copy the characters and learn how to write ‘I love you’ in Romanian – think how impressed your date will be!

4. Romanian Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day

So, you now have the basic Valentine’s Day vocabulary under your belt. Well done! But, do you know how to say ‘I love you’ in Romanian yet? Or perhaps you are still only friends. So, do you know how to say ‘I like you’ or ‘I have a crush on you’ in Romanian? No? Don’t worry, here are all the love phrases you need to bowl over your Romanian love on this special day!

I love you.

• Te iubesc.

Saying ‘I love you’ in Romanian carries the same weight as in all languages. Use this only if you’re sure and sincere about your feelings for your partner/friend.

You mean so much to me.

• Însemni atat de mult pentru mine.

This is a beautiful expression of gratitude that will enhance any relationship! It makes the receiver feel appreciated and their efforts recognized.

Will you be my Valentine?

• Vrei să fii Valentinul meu?

With these words, you are taking your relationship to the next level! Or, if you have been a couple for a while, it shows that you still feel the romance. So, go for it!

You’re so beautiful.

• Ești atât de frumoasă.

If you don’t know how to say ‘You’re pretty’ in Romanian, this is a good substitute, gentlemen!

I think of you as more than a friend.

• Te consider mai mult decât un prieten.

Say this if you are not yet sure that your romantic feelings are reciprocated. It is also a safe go-to if you’re unsure about the Romanian dating culture.

A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you.

• O sută de inimi ar fi prea puține pentru a purta toată dragostea mea pentru tine.

You romantic you…! When your heart overflows with love, this would be the best phrase to use.

Love is just love. It can never be explained.

• Iubirea este doar iubire. Ea nu poate fi explicată.

If you fell in love unexpectedly or inexplicably, this one’s for you.

You’re so handsome.

• Ești atât de chipeș.

Ladies, this phrase lets your Romanian love know how much you appreciate his looks! Don’t be shy to use it; men like compliments too.

I’ve got a crush on you.

• Am făcut o pasiune pentru tine.

If you like someone, but you’re unsure about starting a relationship, it would be prudent to say this. It simply means that you like someone very, very much and think they’re amazing.

You make me want to be a better man.

• Mă faci să doresc să fiu un om mai bun.

Gentlemen, don’t claim this phrase as your own! It hails from the movie ‘As Good as it Gets’, but it is sure to make your Romanian girlfriend feel very special. Let her know that she inspires you!

Let all that you do be done in love.

• Tot ceea ce faci să fie făcut cu dragoste.

We hope.

You are my sunshine, my love.

• Ești raza mea de soare, dragostea mea.

A compliment that lets your lover know they bring a special quality to your life. Really nice!

Words can’t describe my love for you.

• Cuvintele nu pot descrie dragostea mea pentru tine.

Better say this when you’re feeling serious about the relationship! It means that your feelings are very intense.

We were meant to be together.

• Am fost sortiți să fim împreună.

This is a loving affirmation that shows you see a future together, and that you feel a special bond with your partner.

If you were thinking about someone while reading this, you’re definitely in love.

• Dacă te-ai gândit la cineva în timp ai citit acest lucru, cu siguranță esti îndrăgostit.

Here’s something fun to tease your lover with. And hope he/she was thinking of you!

5. Romanian Quotes about Love

You’re a love champ! You and your Romanian lover are getting along fantastically, your dates are awesome, your Valentine’s Day together was spectacular, and you’re very much in love. Good for you! Here are some beautiful phrases of endearment in Romanian that will remind him/her who is in your thoughts all the time.

6. Marriage Proposal Lines

Wow. Your Romanian lover is indeed the love of your life – congratulations! And may only happiness follow the two of you! In most traditions, the man asks the woman to marry; this is also the Romanian custom. Here are a few sincere and romantic lines that will help you to ask your lady-love for her hand in marriage.

7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines

Instead of moving towards marriage or a long-term relationship, you find that the spark is not there for you. That is a pity! But even though breaking up is never easy, continuing a bad or unfulfilling relationship would be even harder. Remember to be kind to the person you are going to say goodbye to; respect and sensitivity cost nothing. Here are some phrases to help you break up gently.

8. Will Falling in Love help you Learn Romanian faster?

Most people will agree that the above statement is a no-brainer – of course it will! Your body will be flooded with feel-good hormones, which are superb motivators for anything. RomanianPod101 is one of the best portals to help help make this a reality, so don’t hesitate to enroll now! Let’s quickly look at the reasons why falling in love will speed up your learning of the Romanian language.

Three Reasons Why Having a Lover will Help you Learn Romanian Faster!

1- Being in a love relationship with your Romanian speaking partner will immerse you in the culture
RomanianPod101 uses immersive methods and tools to teach you Romanian, but having a relationship with a native speaker will be a very valuable addition to your learning experience! You will gain exposure to their world, realtime and vividly, which will make the language come alive even more for you. The experience is likely to expand your world-view, which should motivate you to learn Romanian even faster.

2- Having your Romanian romantic partner will mean more opportunity to practice speaking
Nothing beats continuous practice when learning a new language. Your partner will probably be very willing to assist you in this, as your enhanced Romanian language skills will enhance the relationship. Communication is, after all, one of the most important pillars of a good partnership. Also, you will get to impress your lover with the knowledge gained through your studies – a win/win situation!

3- A supportive Romanian lover is likely to make a gentle, patient teacher and study aid!
With his/her heart filled with love and goodwill for you, your Romanian partner is likely to patiently and gently correct your mistakes when you speak. This goes not only for grammar, but also for accent and meaning. With his/her help, you could sound like a native in no time!

Three Reasons Why RomanianPod101 helps you learn Romanian Even Faster when you’re In Love

Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

1- All the Resources and Materials Will Help Both of You
Falling in love with a man or woman speaking Romanian is an opportunity for both of you to learn a new language! For this reason, every lesson, transcript, vocabulary list, and resource at RomanianPod101 is translated into both English and Romanian. So, while your partner can help you learn Romanian faster, you can potentially also help him/her learn and master English!

2- Lessons Are Designed to Help You Understand and Engage with Romanian Culture
At RomanianPod101, our focus is to help our students learn practical vocabulary and phrases used by everyday people in Romania. This means that, from your very first lesson, you can apply what you learn immediately! So, when your Romanian partner wants to go out to a restaurant, play Pokemon Go, or attend just about any social function, you have the vocabulary and phrases necessary to have a great time!

3- Access to Special Resources Dedicated to Romantic Romanian Phrases
You now have access to RomanianPod101’s specially-developed sections and tools to teach you love words, phrases, and cultural insights to help you find and attract your Romanian soul mate. A personal tutor will assist you to master these brilliantly – remember to invite him/her to your wedding!

People say that politeness is key to having a good experience in Romania.

And what does that start with? Saying hello in Romanian.

When you’re sitting at home or hanging out with your friends, you probably don’t say “hello” to others very often. Unsurprisingly though, when you travel, you say it a lot more. Maybe twenty, thirty times a day.

For a Romanian learner, that’s perfect. That’s thirty different opportunities to practice!

In this article, you’ll learn how to handle greetings in Romanian in all situations, and you’ll also be able to continue those greetings into the beginning of small talk. The best part is that it’s all pretty easy to understand! Let’s learn how to say hello in Romanian.

Table of Contents

1. A Foundation for Your Greetings
2. Throughout the Day
3. The Formal and Informal Greetings
4. Saying Hello Through a Phone or Keyboard
5. Nice to Meet You
6. How are You?
7. Body Language
8. Goodbye!
9. Conclusion

1. A Foundation for Your Greetings

There are two words you need to know in Romanian when it comes to greeting others. Without these, you’re lost, and with them, you’re ready for pretty much anything.

The first is bună, which literally means “good.” It’s the all-purpose short greeting in Romania, good for the telephone or waving to a friend.

The second is salut, which is taken directly from French. It’s used just about as frequently in Romania as well, and it’s simply how to say “hi” in Romanian.

Like I said, with these two words, you’re set. But you didn’t come to this article to read two words. Let’s dive a little deeper.

2. Throughout the Day

Romanian, just like pretty much every other European language, has different greetings based on the different times of day.

In Romanian, “Good morning” is bună dimineața. It follows the same structure as it does in English, so if you know bună already (check the previous section), then you can guess what dimineața means as well.

“Good afternoon” is bună ziua. Ziua actually means “day,” so this could be translated as “good day” if you wish. However, that lends it a pretty old-fashioned feeling that you probably don’t want to associate with it. After all, it’s a simple “hello” we’re dealing with here.

“Good evening” is bună seara. If you’ve studied Italian or French, you can really see the Romance language connection here to words like sera or soir. Of course, that can be a handicap later on if you end up not remembering how to say it in Romanian!

Lastly, “Good night” is noapte bună. Just like in English, Romanians say this before heading to sleep. It continues to fit the pattern of direct translations, but here the words are reversed thanks to obscure etymological reasons. Noapte looks like “nap,” but it really only means “night,” nothing to do lexically with “sleep.”

You may be wondering when these actually change. After all, it’s not quite as clear as the English “afternoon.” However, that’s exactly what it is—at twelve o’clock it becomes ziua, and then at six o’clock it becomes seara. Interestingly enough, it used to be based on the time that church bells rang.

3. The Formal and Informal Greetings

There’s still one old-style and classical Romanian greeting, and that’s sărut mâna. It literally means “I kiss your hand.” The t doesn’t always get fully pronounced in the middle of the word.

Wouldn’t you know it, sometimes you’ll see older Romanian men kiss the hands of older women. However, this tradition has pretty much entirely disappeared with younger generations. The salutation still remains, as a familiar way of addressing someone much older. You might hear a grandchild say this to their grandfather, for instance.

Romanian does have a special polite verb conjugation, dumneavoastră, which is similar to the polite verb form in French or German. You use it with strangers who are past teenagerhood, and it’s said that you truly feel like an adult the first time a stranger uses it with you!

In terms of greetings, there’s no particularly formal Romanian greeting for everyday life. In order to be polite with strangers, if you were working at a bank, for instance, then you could add the equivalents of “sir” or “ma’am” after the greeting:

• Bună ziua, Domnule.
  “Good day, sir.”
• Bună ziua, Doamnă.
  “Good day, madam.”

In different parts of Romania, or among different people, you’re likely to hear words outside the standard set. For instance, in the Transylvanian region, or among ethnic Hungarians, you’re quite likely to hear people say Servus! as a greeting. This will be familiar to anyone who has been to Austria or studied German, since it’s the same over there too!

People also like to say Ciao or ‘Neața as ordinary everyday greetings. Ciao has been in vogue for decades thanks to Italy’s cultural prestige, and ‘Neața is a simple shortening of bună dimineața. It’s also found in the name of a popular morning TV show: Neatza cu Răzvan și Dani.

Depending on the work environment you’re in, it may be expected that you greet your boss with the phrase Să trăiți!, which literally means “Long live!” In English, that sounds pretty strange, but in Romanian it’s just another set phrase with no real meaning. Actually, this greeting is used only between men. It’s an old-fashioned greeting, so you can hear this only between elderly people.

Speaking of set phrases, in the countryside there are also a handful of greetings that you don’t hear much elsewhere. Încotro means “Where are you going?” and Drum bun! means “Safe trip!” As a foreigner, you won’t be expected to know these. However, if you spend time in the countryside and want to make a fantastic impression, by all means try these out.

Last but not least, what do you think you’ll hear if you watch a Romanian vlogger? Hei! That’s been so common on Internet videos around the world that it no longer even counts as an English word.

4. Saying Hello Through a Phone or Keyboard

So up to this point, we’ve covered a lot of ground talking about how to address Romanians in person. How about if you can’t see them?

To answer a phone call, Romanians simply say bună or alo in a questioning tone of voice. Then, once they know who’s calling, they might say salut or bună again to actually begin the conversation. If the line drops out, they’ll likely say alo? alo? until they can hear again.

When you write an email, you should take note of the level of formality being used. The levels of politeness are slightly more formal as a whole in email, so you end up with formal salutations like these:

• Stimate Domnule,
  “Dear Sir,”
• Stimată Doamnă,
  “Dear Madam,”
• Stimate Domnule/Doamnă,
  “Dear Sir / Madam,” (Supposing you don’t know the recipient.)

More informally, you can try these greetings as well:

• Dragă Mihai,
  “Dear Mihai,”
• Bună Andrei!
  “Hey Andrei!”
• Salut Daniel!
  “Hi Daniel!”

Well, at this point we’ve just about exhausted the ways to say hello in Romanian. What comes next?

5. Nice to Meet You

Okay, so how about how to say “Hello, nice to meet you,” in Romanian?

When you’re just introducing yourself, there are a couple of different ways you can express “Nice to meet you” with set phrases. Seamlessly transitioning into the next phrase will impress your Romanian acquaintances even more than a correct hello.

All of these have the same general connotations, so you should think of the English translations as interchangeable. They use different words here just to set them apart in your own memory.

• Mă bucur să te cunosc.
  “Glad to meet you.”
• Îmi face plăcere să te cunosc.
  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
• Este foarte frumos să te cunosc.
  “It’s very nice to meet you.”

We’ll briefly touch on body language later on, but for now you should just know that Romanians will expect to shake hands at this point of an introduction, just like in the USA.

6. How are You?

Now let’s learn how to say “Hello, how are you?” in Romanian.

Small talk in Romanian deserves an article all on its own. Here, though, the phrase “how are you” barely even counts as small talk. It’s more an extension of the greeting itself, and in fact, among close friends that’s what’s often used as a greeting instead.

The standard version is Ce mai faci? which literally means “What are you doing?” However, it’s not actually used in that sense, and instead it’s basically the standard way to say “What’s up?”

We can shorten it even further, going so far as to say ce faci? by itself. Funnily enough, Romanians tend to disagree about what exactly is being expressed here, even though many people use it to mean “What’s up?” as well. Some people will interpret it as “What are you doing right now?”

In order to avoid any confusion, we recommend only saying ce faci if you’ve heard somebody say it to you before.

Now we’ve got two more questions that you can use to spice up your exchange.

• Cum a fost ziua de azi?
  “How was your day today?”
• Cum stă treaba?
  “How’s work?”

Again, these aren’t actually legitimate questions! You can answer with a simple bine, bine, meaning “Fine, fine,” and not have to give any details, even if you’ve actually had a terrible day at work.

Now let’s pivot a little bit and see how you should be carrying yourself during exchanges like the ones above.

7. Body Language

Have you ever thought about how body language can be the key to any successful communication?

Just imagine it. Someone goes into your store and says hello, but they look very stressed and won’t make eye contact. Or, someone goes door-to-door selling something, but practically invites themselves into your house.

These are real situations, not too hard to picture, and yet they feel quite off simply because the body language isn’t what we’re used to.

First off, when greeting and shaking hands as we’ve discussed before, Romanians tend to be much closer than North Americans. They move in tight to shake hands and then don’t move away during the conversation.

They also don’t tend to make as much eye contact when speaking. It’s totally fine to let your gaze wander as you talk. Also, once you’ve been introduced to someone, it’s all right to make a little bit more physical contact as well. That might include giving high-fives in the middle of the conversation or putting your hand on someone’s arm to make your point.

Lastly, it’s all right for you to be open with your emotions. Romania is a “Latin country,” and that means people can be quite forceful in conversations that they care about. So don’t feel offended if Romanians seem a little bit touchy or animated while speaking. It’s just part of their culture!

8. Goodbye!

There’s no reason to stop at “hello.” Let’s now add a couple more phrases to your repertoire that come after the conversation. That is, how to say goodbye.

The shortest and easiest way is to simply say Pa!, just like “Bye” in English. However, some people feel that this is too informal, bordering on rude, to use with strangers. Just like with ce faci, only use this if you’ve heard someone use this with you before.

The “classic” farewell phrase is La revedere, or more literally, “Until we meet again.” Use this phrase at any time and with anybody.

If you’re just going to head out and be right back, you can also say Pe mai târziu or Vorbim mai târziu. These two mean just about the same thing, so you can use either one and not worry.

9. Conclusion

So, you’ve learned how to say hello and goodbye in Romanian, and even how to inquire about someone’s well-being. At this point, you’re probably quite confident in your ability to start conversations in Romanian. And you should be!

Even if it seems like just a tiny part of a conversation, it’s still very important. It makes a big impression on people when they hear you speak their native language. If you happen to meet Romanians abroad and hit them with a bună dimineaţa, you’ll probably make their day.

But at the same time, it really is just the beginning.

The best way to continue your Romanian studies is to attack it on every front. That means listening to and reading real Romanian, while at the same time continuing to study lessons and vocabulary from RomanianPod101.com. In fact, you should probably read this article again in a few days to make the new words stick!

As you know, you’ve got the whole rest of the language to learn. Once you’ve broken the ice with hello, it makes it that much easier to continue.

How did you like this lesson? Did you learn anything new today? Let us know in the comments section!

Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!

Table of Contents

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
2. Romanian Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
4. How Can RomanianPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?
5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Romanian – Testing New Technology

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day

Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Romanian? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Romanian words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:

1. joke – a glumi
2. funny – amuzant
3. lie – minciună
4. surprise – surpriză
5. sneaky – șiret
6. prankster – farsor
7. prank – festă
8. play a joke – a face o festă cuiva
9. humor – umor
10. deceptive – înșelător
11. April 1st – întâi Aprilie
12. fool – prost

2. Romanian Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day

Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes – use these April Fools’ phrases in Romanian to prank your favorite Romanian friend or colleague!

1. All classes for today got canceled.
   • Toate clasele de astăzi au fost anulate.
2. I’m sorry, but I’ve just broken your favorite pair of glasses.
   • Îmi pare rău, dar tocmai am spart perechea ta preferată de ochelari.
3. Someone has just hit your car.
   • Cineva tocmai ți-a lovit masina.
4. You won a free ticket.
   • Ai câștigat un bilet gratuit.
5. Thank you for your love letter this morning. I never could have guessed your feelings.
   • Vă mulțumesc pentru scrisoarea dumneavoastră de dragoste din această dimineață. Nu aș fi ghicit niciodată sentimentele dumneavoastră.
6. I saw your car being towed.
   • Am văzut că mașina ta a fost tractată.
7. I’m getting married.
   • Mă căsătoresc.
8. They’re giving away free gift cards in front of the building.
   • În fața clădirii ei oferă carduri cadou gratuite .
9. A handsome guy is waiting for you outside.
   • Un tip frumos te așteaptă afară.
10. Can you come downstairs? I have something special for you.
    • Poți veni jos? Am ceva special pentru tine.
11. A beautiful lady asked me to give this phone number to you.
    • O doamnă frumoasă mi-a cerut să îți dau acest număr de telefon.

Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss – you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.

3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody

Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Romanian, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.

Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others – the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.

1- Infestation

This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.

2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?

Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.

3- Something Weird in the Restroom

At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.

Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.

Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!

4- Call Me Funny

Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number – 123-456-7890 – and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.

5- Minty Cookies

This is another simple but hugely effective prank – simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.

6- Wild Shopping

At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.

7- The Oldest Trick in the Book

Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book – smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!

8- Sneeze On Me

Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.

9- Word Play Repairs

Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.

10- Scary Face

Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.

11- Wake Up To Madness

Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.

12- Computer Prank

This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).

Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.

13- Monster Under the Cup

This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.

14- Prank Door

Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.

4. How Can RomanianPod101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?

If you happen to visit Romania, or if you work for any Romanian company, knowing the above Romanian prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Romanian words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.

Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Romanian – bone up your Romanian language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, RomanianPod101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.

Now, as a bonus, test our super-learning technology, and learn the Top 1000 most useful phrases in Romanian below! But that’s not all. Read on to learn how you can be eligible for large enrollment discounts at RomanianPod101.

5. Top 1000 Most Useful Phrases in Romanian – testing new technology

Help us by being a language guinea pig! Listen to this video above with embedded cutting-edge, frequency-based learning technology that enables you to learn large amounts of data in record time.

• Note: This technology is in beta-phase of development, and we invite your input for fine-tuning.
• To participate: Watch the video for instructions, and leave a comment to rate it. Your comment will make you eligible for large enrollment-fee discounts. To watch the video, please click the play button.

Thank you for helping RomanianPod101! We’re serious about making learning Romanian fun.

Learn 4 honest reasons you need Romanian slang words and why they are so vital to truly learning and mastering the language.

Teachers may normally cringe at the thought of their students learning Romanian slang words. After all, slang words and phrases are typically defined as being grammatically incorrect. So why would your teacher want you to spend time learning the “wrong way” to speak Romanian? Here are 4 of the top reasons why you should study slang words and expressions when learning Romanian or any new language.

1. Native Speakers Use Slang Expressions in Everyday Conversation

If you are going to study a foreign language and plan to use it to speak with native speakers, then you have to learn slang words and expressions. Otherwise, just using formal expressions and grammar may alienate you from native speakers and make it more difficult to establish a real connection. So it is best to at least learn some common slang words and expressions if you’re planning to meet or speak socially with someone.

2. Slang Words Are Used All Throughout Romanian Culture

If you turn on any popular Romanian TV show, listen to any song, or watch any movie, you are quickly going to see the value of learning Romanian slang phrases. Just like everyday conversations between native speakers, Romanian culture is filled with slang phrases and expressions. Without at least some knowledge of the more common slang phrases, popular culture and most conversations will be very confusing and potentially alienating.

3. Slang Expressions Help You Better Express Your True Thoughts and Feelings

Only relying on formal grammar and vocabulary is very limiting, especially in social situations. Just like in your native language, using the appropriate Romanian slang words can help you express a broader range of emotions, thoughts, and feelings.

4. Proper Use of Slang Makes You Sound More Natural

We’ve all met foreigners who technically used formal language perfectly but still sounded odd and well….foreign. But when you use the right slang words and expressions, you will sound more natural and like a true native speaker. If you notice, even most politicians include a sprinkling of slang expressions and words throughout their speeches to help them sound more natural and to better connect with the audience.

The Dark Side of Slang Expressions

Learning Romanian slang words can indeed help you sound more natural, better understand the people and culture, and make integration much easier. However, there is a dark side: using the wrong slang expressions can also make you look foolish, uneducated, and potentially disrespectful.

But how do you know which slang words or phrases to use and when?

The truth is that you can’t learn the most modern and appropriate slang words in textbooks or formal classroom settings. By the time the information gets incorporated into a formal curriculum, it’s already outdated and no longer in use by actual Romanian people. And while you can learn current slang expressions from Romanian TV shows, movies, songs, and games, you may not understand the context. If that happens, you may use the right Romanian slang words but in the wrong situation and still look like a fool or possibly even offend someone.

So where can you learn current slang expressions and the right context in which to use them?

At RomanianPod101, native speaking instructors create audio and video lessons that can include slang expressions and words. Our instructors provide context and examples for all the Romanian slang words used in any lesson to make sure students understand the right time and place to use them.

Romanian slang words and expressions may be grammatically incorrect but they are vital to truly understanding and immersing yourself in the culture. In fact, it will be very difficult to fully understand any movie, TV show, song, game, or even 1-on-1 conversation without knowing a few of the more common slang expressions.

However, it is important to learn the proper context and use of even popular slang expressions or you may come across as confusing, disrespectful, or uneducated.
At RomanianPod101, you’ll learn how to use slang phrases and words to draw the right attention and avoid these problems.

Don’t forget to sign up for a Free Lifetime Account on RomanianPod101.com to access tons of FREE lessons and features to become fluent in Romanian!