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Don’t be Late to Learn about Telling Time in Romanian

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The number-one piece of advice most people have for those considering a trip to Romania is to learn some of the language.

Check that one off the list.

You’re already interested in Romanian, we know that. But here’s our number-one piece of advice for learning Romanian for travel:

Learn about the time in Romanian.

Learning some numbers in Romanian, and the dates, is a great accomplishment, but they only get you so far. Time covers all kinds of situations at once: bus schedules, airport departures, check-in times…everything you’re likely to do as a tourist!

This article won’t stop there, either. This is your one-stop solution to learning everything you need to know about time in Romanian, from stopping someone on the street to discussing international time zones.

Get ready—it’s time to learn.

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Time Phrases in Romanian Table of Contents
  1. General Times Throughout the Day
  2. Inquiring about the Time
  3. How to Talk about Hours
  4. Dividing Hours into Minutes and Seconds
  5. The Finer Points of “When” and “What Time”
  6. These Things Take Time
  7. Times in Different Places
  8. Phrases and Idioms about Time
  9. Conclusion

1. General Times Throughout the Day

Building in Romania During Day

Since Romanian belongs to the European cultural tradition, they divide time up just as we do in English—into key sections of the day that we can use as markers.

Dimineaţă means “morning.” This is the time from just before the sun appears to around twelve o’clock noon.

Ziua is “day,” in the same way that you could have “one day,” “two days,” and so on. “Good day” sounds a little old-fashioned in English, but not in Romanian. It’s usually from about noon to six o’clock p.m.

Seară is “evening,” the time period from about six o’clock p.m. to when the sun actually sets.

And when the stars are bright in the sky, it’s definitely noaptea, or “nighttime.”

Like  in English, these are integral parts of the standard “time of day greetings,” which you can see here:

  • Bună dimineaţa!

Good morning!

  • Bună ziua!

Good afternoon! 

  • Bună seara!

Good evening!

We don’t usually wish others “good night” in either Romanian or English.

Just two more words before we get into the real business of telling time in Romanian: miezul nopții is literally “the middle of the night” and refers to midnight, while amiază is the opposite, namely “noon.”

2. Inquiring about the Time

Time

Sure, knowing the words for the different times of day is great. But you’re probably not going to ask “Is it morning?” unless you were pretty out of it the night before.

Just as English has several ways to rephrase the question, there are a couple of different ways you can ask for the time in Romanian.

This is a polite version that’s appropriate for asking strangers on the street:

  • Mă scuzați, cât este ceasul?

Excuse me, what time is it?

If the only stranger nearby is an older gentleman, try this more formal version:

  • Mă scuzați, cât este ora, domnule?

Excuse me, what time is it, sir?

Note that it was only formal because we added vă rog and domnule. The two phrases cât este ceasul and cât este ora are interchangeable.

Here are some more phrases you can use to vary your speech:

  • Cât este ceasul acum?

What’s the time now?

  • Știți cât este ceasul?

Do you know what time it is now? 

There’s not really a right or wrong variant of these. In fact, on rare occasions you might see yet another version: ce oră este. In any case, let’s get to the answers.

3. How to Talk about Hours

Hourglass

Okay, let’s answer those questions as best as we can.

We’ll start by talking about the hours. In Romanian, an hour is oră. Be very careful, because this is where pronunciation could trip you up. When you use it for actually telling the time in Romanian, though, you change ă into a!

You probably won’t run into any trouble if you confuse the two, but if you want to speak clearly and always be understood, this is a great pair of words to practice.

In any case, the format for saying the hour is: (It is) (hour) (number). Let’s have a look.

  • Este ora două.

It’s two o’clock.

  • Este ora unsprezece.

It’s eleven o’clock.

Romanians are generally familiar with both the twenty-four-hour and the twelve-hour clocks. You could hear the same time in the evening expressed two ways:

  • Este ora optsprezece.

It’s eighteen o’clock.

  • Este ora șase P.M.

It’s six P.M.

Simply read the letters “P.M.” out as if you were saying the Romanian alphabet.

Most people, if you ask them the time and they don’t have a watch or a phone at the ready, will round things to the nearest hour or section of an hour. You may hear a phrase like aproximativ, which sounds very formal in English but means “about” in Romanian. Or perhaps you’ll hear aproape, which means “almost.” Have a look:

  • Este aproximativ ora cinci.

It’s around five o’clock.

  • Este aproape ora cinci.

It’s almost five o’clock.

For saying the exact hour, we say “sharp” in English, but fix or “exact” in Romanian. We’ll use the same example sentence to show that, in casual speech, you don’t absolutely need to say ora every time.

  • Este cinci fix.

It’s five sharp.

Okay, enough beating around the bush. Let’s learn how to tell time in Romanian as accurately as possible.

4. Dividing Hours into Minutes and Seconds

Improve Listening

It turns out, it’s extremely easy.

Using the same sentence pattern above, we simply add the equivalent of “… and (number).”

  • Este ora cincisprezece și opt.

It’s fifteen oh eight (3:08 P.M.).

  • Este ora patru și douăzeci și trei.

It’s four twenty-three.

Yes, it can get a little strange to an English-speaking ear that there are two uses of și in the same phrase. But Romanians simply parse the last și as being an inseparable part of the number, so it doesn’t sound weird.

Can we be more exact?

Of course we can, and again the pattern follows English perfectly.

Este ora două și nouă minute și douăzeci și unu secunde.

It’s two oh nine minutes and twenty-one seconds.

We can also get less exact. In Romanian, the hour is divided into halves and quarters. A “half” as in “half past” is jumătate, and a “quarter” is un sfert. The only difference is that you’ve got to use the article un with sfert to specify that it’s exactly one—no reason for you to talk about two quarters when you’ve got a word for “half!”

  • Este unu și un sfert.

It’s a quarter past one. (It’s one and a quarter.)

5. The Finer Points of “When” and “What Time”

Person Pointing to Watch

One of the next steps you can take to raise your language level just a little bit is to start asking what time things happen. Learning this serves several purposes: It gets you to try out new sentence structures, it impresses others, and it usually gives you very valuable information.

In Romanian, just as in English, there’s a difference between “at what time” and “when.” The former is translated as la ce oră. Again, look out for the pronunciation. We ask with the word oră, but always answer with ora.

  • La ce oră e acel film?

What time is that movie?

  • La ce oră se închide barul?

What time does the bar close?

  • Când va fi asta?

When will that happen?

Some answers for you now. Remember that, like in English, sometimes the answer is vague, and sometimes you’ll hear the exact time in Romanian.

  • Între ora patru și cinci.

Between four and five.

  • Apusul e la ora cinci și patruzeci și șapte.

Sunrise is at five forty-seven.

You should be aware that a Romanian being vague about the time isn’t an unusual thing. It’s not considered rude to be a few minutes late in Romania, except for the most formal situations.

6. These Things Take Time

First you asked about the time in Romanian, then you asked when things happen, and now your next task is to ask about how long certain things might take.

As Romanian is a Latin language, some of these phrases will be pretty transparent to you. You can see roots related to “duration” and “time” if you look carefully.

The first two phrases are pretty standard and interchangeable.

  • Cât va dura?

How long will it take?

  • Cât timp va dura?

How much time will it take?

But there’s an informal variant that’s more idiomatic—it’s hard to translate exactly what each word here is doing.

  • Știi cât îți ia?

Do you know how long it takes?

Now here are some examples of more complicated questions you could ask:

  • Cât durează să ajungi acolo?

How long does it take to get there?

  • În cât timp se face de obicei?

How long does it generally take?

Literally, you’re asking “In how much time is it done?” That phrase de obicei can be used in a lot of different places. Here’s just one example:

  • Eu de obicei nu fac asta.

Normally I don’t do that.

7. Times in Different Places

Airplane Flying & Luggage

Romania has just one time zone (fus orar), and there aren’t any well-known overseas Romanian communities that would call for different Romanian time zones to be established. That means you won’t have to worry about different time zones when traveling in Romania—one less thing, right?

Romania does have a Daylight Savings Time, which is called ora de vară and generally lasts from the end of March to the end of October.

Când începe ora de vară?

When does Daylight Savings Time start?

Even though Romania has just one time zone to worry about, that doesn’t mean they don’t have to be cognizant of time zones elsewhere. Imagine you’re a Romanian executive in high power and you want to know about another branch of your company. 

  • Cât e ceasul în New York?

What’s the time in New York?

Of course you could add acum to express the meaning of “now” as well. Some more phrases to fill in the gaps:

  • Există o diferență de timp?

Is there a time difference?

  • Este în un alt fus orar.

It’s in a different time zone.

8. Phrases and Idioms about Time

Man Arriving Late for Date

You may not have noticed before, but English has a hefty number of idioms and turns of phrase to describe time. You can’t get through a single book chapter or news article without stumbling across things like: “in time,” “out of time,” “over time,” and so on.

Here’s what those sound like in Romanian.

in a little while (în scurt timp)

  • Va ajunge aici în scurt timp.

He’ll arrive here in a little while.

in just a moment (într-o clipă)

  • Profesorul va vorbi cu voi într-o clipă.

The professor will speak to you in just a moment.

right on time (chiar la timp)

  • Ai ajuns chiar la timp.

You’re right on time.

the perfect/ideal time for… (momentul ideal pentru…)

  • E momentul ideal pentru cineva să se furișeze înăuntru.

It’s the perfect time for someone to sneak inside.

as time goes by (pe măsură ce trece timpul)

  • Pe măsură ce trece timpul o să devină o amintire.

As time goes by, it will become a memory.

spend time (petrece timp)

  • Mi-ar plăcea să petrec timp cu tine.

I’d like to spend time with you.

And to end with another of those evocative Romanian expressions, here’s an idiom about what some might call “making the wrong choices.”

waste time (a freca menta)

  • Voi sta aici și voi freca menta.

I’m sitting here and I’m going to while away my time.

Literally, you’re saying “rub mint.” Have you ever rubbed mint? It has a nice texture and a pleasant smell. But hopefully you didn’t have anything pressing to do with your time at that point!

9. Conclusion

Basic Questions

Now you’re equipped to do quite a bit in Romanian!

Not only can you tell the time, but you can also use your knowledge of Romanian sentence patterns and idioms to speak quite freely about it—saying when things happen, how long they’ll take, and more.

Pay attention to some TV shows or the dialogue in some Romanian books next time you get a chance. You’ll quickly find out just how valuable that skill is.

But of course, you’re not finished yet.

Your next step is to review this article and become familiar once more with all of the new vocabulary and structures that you learned in it.

After that, the best thing for you to do is check out the other lessons here at RomanianPod101. If you liked this article, you’ll love our helpful, in-depth podcasts about all aspects of Romanian learning and usage.

So don’t wait—now is the time. 

Before you go, are there any points we covered that you need clarity on? Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns, and we’ll do our best to help you out!

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Master Directions in Romanian with These Phrases

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Being outside in Romania is great—except when you’re lost.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could ask somebody for help? Or even just ask where the McDonald’s is?

That, of course, is the obvious benefit of knowing how to talk about directions in Romanian. (Not the McDonald’s part, the not-getting-lost part.)

Did you know, though, that mastering directions in Romanian can level-up your whole command of the language? Think about it: you’ve got new vocabulary, new sentence patterns, and even new conversation starters, just from one topic.

How much do you know already about directions in Romanian?

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Around Town in Romanian Table of Contents
  1. Basic Cultural Notes and Phrases
  2. Learn the Romanian Compass Points
  3. City Vocabulary and Reference Points
  4. Phrases for Directions in Romanian, Part 1: Asking Others
  5. Part 2: Giving Directions in Romanian
  6. Travel Time
  7. Directions Can Lead You to a Wealth of Language Practice
  8. Conclusion

1. Basic Cultural Notes and Phrases

A lot of Romanians are quite good at English, and they’re all very polite and friendly. If you ask for directions in English, you’re likely to be understood by young people in any city.

However, if you can show them that you’ve put some real effort into your Romanian (that means having correct pronunciation), then they’ll be impressed and quite happy not to switch to English on you.

To politely get somebody’s attention on the street, simply say:

  • Scuzați-mă!

Excuse me!

Or maybe:

  • Mă puteți ajuta?

Could you help me?

These two phrases will help you lead into actually asking them for directions, which we’ll cover in a little while.

Romanian towns and cities are old, and people usually grew up on the same streets that are there now. During the various changes in government in the twentieth century, though, many street names did change in Romania to honor political figures.

Therefore, older people and younger people may remember streets by different names. If you can’t find a certain street that you heard mentioned, you can ask someone like this:

  • Scuzați-mă, unde e strada asta?

Excuse me, where is this street?

2. Learn the Romanian Compass Points

west and east

If you happen to have studied any German in the past, these compass points in Romanian are going to seem very familiar to you.

EnglishRomanian
northnord
southsud
eastest
westvest
northwestnord-vest
northeastnord-est
southwestsud-vest
southeastsud-est

Nord-Vest, Nord-Est, Sud-Est, Sud-Vest, and Vest are all also names of development regions of Romania, by the way. They’re not often used in daily conversation, but if you read any articles about Romania, particularly its economy, you may be confused by this.

To make it clear, it’s better to be specific about the fact that you’re talking about the parts of a country or city. This is done in two ways: using the phrase partea de and a cardinal direction, or using the adjective form of that direction.

  • Este în partea de vest a UE.

It’s in the western part of the EU.

  • E din partea sudică a Albei.

It’s from the southern part of Alba.

In addition to these absolute directions, you’ll also need to know four very useful relative directions for talking to drivers, and really just describing things in general.

EnglishRomanian
leftstânga
rightdreapta
forwardînainte
backînapoi

When you talk about turning, you’ll need to add la in front of the direction to speak grammatically correct. Take a look at this example now, and we’ve got more coming up.

  • După intersecție, ia-o la stânga.

At the intersection, turn left.

3. City Vocabulary and Reference Points

Basic questions

Now we come to the actual studying: the vocabulary. You simply can’t speak accurately about Romanian cities without having a good set of words and phrases. In this section, we’ll give you helpful phrases that you can use to practice prepositions as well. Remember, it’s always good to learn a language in chunks!

centru — city center

  • Restaurantul este situat în centrul oraşului.

The restaurant is located in the city center.

cartier de afaceri — business district

  • Suntem în mijlocul unui cartier de afaceri.

We’re in the middle of a business district.

marginea orașului — the edge of town

  • Locuiește la marginea orașului.

She lives on the edge of town.

centru comercial — shopping center

  • De ce ești în spatele unui centru comercial?

Why are you behind a shopping center?

Make sure that you not only have these words memorized, but you also know how to talk about the basics, like landmarks and streets. Cities in Romania tend to have an abundance of statues and churches, so these are good words to know as well.

statuie — statue

  • Ne întâlnim la hotel de lângă statuie.

We’ll meet in the hotel next to the statue.

piață — square

  • Este o biserică drăguță în piața orașului.

There’s a pretty church in the town square.

stradă — street

  • Te uiți în ambele părți când traversezi strada.

Look both ways when you cross the street.

semafor — traffic light / traffic signal

  • Fă dreapta la semafor.

Turn right at the traffic light.

oficiu poștal — post office

  • Magazinul de bijuterii este chiar lângă oficiul poștal.

The jewelry store is right next to the post office.

bancă — bank

  • Nu se află nimic în apropierea băncii.

It’s nowhere near the bank.

biserică — church

  • În spatele acelor copaci este o biserică mică.

Behind those trees is a little church.

4. Phrases for Directions in Romanian, Part 1: Asking Others

Asking for directions

Two words in Romanian, and you’re most of the way there to asking people for directions: unde este. This literally means “where is,” and you can make hundreds of sentences with these words alone.

I just said that there were only two words, but you’ve doubtlessly also seen unde e, meaning the same thing. What gives?

Actually, nothing. In Romanian, the verb a fi, or “to be,” has a short form (e) and a long form (este). Este is simply considered more formal than e alone.

  • Unde e biblioteca?

Where is the library?

  • Scuză-mă, dar unde e oficiul poștal?

Excuse me, but where is the post office?

This is good, but you should also be aware that it implies the definite existence of a library or post office. If there’s no library or post office in that area of town, it might be confusing for everybody involved.

That’s why you can also use this sentence pattern:

  • E vreun restaurant prin apropiere?

Is there a restaurant nearby?

  • E vreun hotel pe aici?

Is there a hotel around here?

Vreun actually means “some” or “any”—the root verb is simply a fi meaning “to be.” However, vreun is only singular, making it a little awkward to try and translate directly into English.

You can also ask about what you’d like to do, and hopefully somebody nearby knows where you can accomplish that task.

  • De unde pot cumpăra ceva de băut?

Where can I get something to drink?

  • De unde pot lua niște apă, vă rog?

Where can I get some water, please?

5. Part 2: Giving Directions in Romanian

giving directions with map

The longer you live or travel in a foreign country, the more your body language will show that you’re comfortable there. At some point, locals may ask you for directions! Let me tell you, that’s a wonderful feeling, and even better when you can give them the correct answer quickly and easily in Romanian.

Of course, these are also phrases that you might get as answers to the questions we went over in the previous section, but it’s a lot more fun to pretend that you’re the expert in Romania.

You should first give them a general idea of the distance they’re dealing with.

  • Este foarte aproape.

It’s very close by.

Or:

  • Este departe. Doi, poate trei kilometri.

It’s far away. Two, maybe three kilometers.

This will at least give them a ballpark of what to expect.

You should know that there are two ways to tell someone “to turn” in Romanian: luați-o and faceți. There’s no difference, but you’ll probably hear both of them if you travel through the country.

Here are some more phrases you can use:

  • Nu este pe strada asta.

It’s not on this street.

  • Trebuie să mergeți pe această stradă și apoi faceți la dreapta.

You need to go down this road and then turn right.

  • După 100 de metri, faceți la stânga.

After 100 meters, turn left.

  • La semafor, faceți la dreapta.

Turn right at the traffic light.

One very important word for you to know is înainte, which means “straight” or “straight ahead.” If you’ve forgotten all else, you can guide a taxi by simply pointing and saying înainte! over and over until you arrive at your destination.

This kind of “Tarzan Romanian,” by the way, can get you far if your mind goes blank and you can’t remember any of your verbs. In a pinch, you can point at a map and say Unde? and it still counts as Romanian practice!

6. Travel Time

woman walking with taxis in background

Now, a quick section on travel time. This isn’t directions specifically, but it’s used to add extra detail to your question or answer, and really start to stretch your abilities. It’s also very useful information!

Romanians usually get around with buses, taxis, or even by hitching a ride from passing drivers. Therefore, if you’re traveling by foot, they might not be sure about how long it really takes to get to a certain place.

For that reason, it’s a good idea to ask questions like the ones below that can help you get a better idea of the time investment you’re putting in.

  • Este departe?

Is it far?

  • Cât timp fac dacă merg pe jos?

How long does it take to walk?

  • Cât de departe este Piața Victoriei?

How far is Victory Square?

And the answers could be anything. For example: 

  • E la 5 minute de mers pe jos.

It’s a five-minute walk.

  • Poate dura o oră sau mai mult.

It could take an hour or more.

7. Directions Can Lead You to a Wealth of Language Practice

Directions

Whether you’re taking a taxi or hitchhiking, you’ll probably come to a point in your travels when you have the chance to speak to a driver. Obviously, this is a great opportunity to practice your Romanian, but it’s super-easy to be lost for words here.

It turns out that one of the best things you can talk about is how much the city has changed.

Anybody loves talking about the changes in their hometown, and with as much change as Romania has gone through in the last few decades, you’re never going to run out of topics to discuss.

You can start with something like this:

  • Cum s-a schimbat orașul de-a lungul anilor?

How has the city changed over the years?

  • S-a schimbat foarte mult?

Has it changed a lot?

You don’t need to rely on drivers, either. Ordinary people and business owners likely have a lot to say on the topic, too.

  • Ce era aici înainte să faceți hotelul?

What was here before you built the hotel?

They’ll give you plenty of opportunity to practice what you’ve learned so far.

And perhaps talking about past changes seems a little intimidating for your level of Romanian. Not a problem—we can still start conversations with others in an easy way.

All you have to do is ask for directions to places that you already know. Go right out of your hotel and go to a grocery store, and ask how to get to your hotel. They don’t know where you came from! Since you already know the way, you’ll be able to understand more easily.

Then another day, ask at your hotel about how to get to that grocery store! The repetition over multiple days, plus the different approaches to the same topic, will absolutely help you get the material in your memory.

8. Conclusion

What should you do if you’re not in Romania yet?

You’re already doing one of the best things—visiting RomanianPod101.com and reading through the lessons and articles right here.

Another super-easy way to practice directions is to go to Google Maps and switch the interface language to Romanian in the settings. Try this on an incognito tab if you’re worried you won’t be able to change it back afterward.

Challenge yourself, as well. Ask yourself where things are in your own town and see if you can answer in Romanian. 

The more you work on this material, the easier it will be to bring to mind when you need it—and the slower it will fade over time. 

Do you still have questions about directions in Romanian, or are things pretty crystal-clear? Feel free to drop us a comment with any questions or concerns you have on this topic! We look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Romanian learning!

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Learn One Hundred Romanian Nouns in Twenty Minutes



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If you’ve got no nouns, you’ve got problems.

Circumlocution is an important skill, but when it comes down to it, it’s really hard to do with certain things. Try describing your head or your manager without knowing those words, and you’ll see just what a challenge you’ve jumped into.

This article is here to help. No fluff, just vocab—one hundred of the Romanian nouns you need most. Read through this article just one time and see how much you can pick up!

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Table of Contents
  1. Time
  2. The Body
  3. The Family
  4. Working Life
  5. School Days
  6. At the Restaurant
  7. Food and Drink
  8. Mealtimes
  9. Transportation
  10. Technology
  11. Around the Home
  12. Conclusion


1. Time


Many Clocks

If you haven’t learned the right words for time, then you may think you’ve gotten away with it. Turns out, it’s really difficult to be specific about any particular event if you don’t even know how to say what day it happened on!

The first three “nouns” (astăzi, mâine, and ieri) are considered adverbs in Romanian, but since they’re nouns in English, I thought it would be best to include them in our Romanian nouns list.

astăzi — today

Începând de astăzi, am nevoie de soluții.
Starting today, I need solutions.

mâine — tomorrow

De mâine să nu mai vii aici.
Don’t come in tomorrow.

ieri — yesterday

A fost ziua de naștere al lui Adrian ieri.
It was Adrian’s birthday yesterday.

zi — day

Prietenia noastră s-a încheiat în acea zi.
Our friendship ended that day.

săptămână — week

O dată pe săptămână mergem să înotăm împreună.
Once a week, we go swimming together.

luna — month

Luna aceasta e pe sfârșite.
This month is almost over.

an — year

Mihaela a locuit împreună cu noi aproape un an.
Mihaela lived with us for almost a year.



2. The Body


Neck Pain

Is your back flaring up again? How about your complaining neighbor? Whether describing your symptoms or offering sympathy, you need these Romanian nouns.

laba piciorului — foot

El și-a tăiat laba piciorului de o piatră.
He cut his foot on a rock.

picior — leg

Cred că mi-am rupt piciorul.
I think I may have broken my leg.

cap — head

A început sa mă doară capul din senin.
My head suddenly started to hurt.

braț — arm

Bebelușul dorme doar în brațele mele.
The baby only sleeps in my arms.

mână — hand

Mâinile tale sunt mai reci decât ale mele.
Your hands are colder than mine.

stomac — stomach

Florin s-a plâns de dureri de stomac.
Florin complained of stomach pain.

spate — back

Am simțit o durere ascuțită în partea de jos a spatelui.
I felt a sharp pain in my lower back.

piept — chest

El a avut dureri în piept.
He had pains in his chest.

talie — waist

Uite cât de mică este talia ei!
Look how small her waist is!

3. The Family


Nouns 1

Talking about your family is a great topic for small talk. Romanians have big and connected families, so don’t be surprised if they ask about your cousin that you haven’t seen since fifth grade. Here are the most important nouns in Romanian for family talk!

familie — family

Această cheltuială nu va afecta bugetul familiei noastre.
This expense will not affect our family budget.

mamă — mother

Faptul că sunt mamă, mă face fericită.
Being a mother makes me happy.

tată — father

Tatăl său a fost marinar.
His father was a sailor.

părinte — parent

Fiecare părinte are impresia că odrasla lui este specială.
Every parent thinks their child is special.

copil — child

Fiecare copil ar trebui să se simtă în siguranță.
Every child should feel safe.

fiică — daughter

El a plecat să o caute pe fiica sa.
He went to find his daughter.

fiul — son

Eu sunt fiul ei.
I’m her son.

mătușă — aunt

Mătușa ta a sunat de opt ori.
Your aunt called eight times.

unchi — uncle

Nu l-am întâlnit niciodată pe unchiul tău.
I’ve never met your uncle.

soț — husband

Va fi un soț bun.
He’ll be a good husband.

văr — cousin

Acest copil este vărul tău.
That child is your cousin.

soție — wife

El locuiește la o fermă împreună cu soția și copiii lui.
He lives on a farm with his wife and kids.

    → Do you want more Romanian family words or more information on the structure of a Romanian family? RomanianPod101 has just the article for you!


4. Working Life


Woman Working on Computer

We’ve got lots of names for people so far, but none for their jobs. How about some Romanian nouns related to jobs and the office?

vânzător — salesman

Ești un bun vânzător.
You are a good salesman.

profesor — teacher

Ea a fost profesoara mea de matematică.
She was my math teacher.

medic — doctor

Ar trebui să respecți sfatul doctorului.
You should follow the doctor’s advice.

bucătar — cook; chef

Am profesat ca și bucătar.
I used to be a chef.

angajat — employee

Sunt doar trei angajați cu jumătate de normă.
There are only three part-time employees.

scriitor — writer

Fiecare scriitor are nevoie de un editor bun.
Every writer needs a good editor.

șofer — driver

Am înțeles că aveți nevoie de un șofer.
I’ve heard you need a driver.

menajeră — housekeeper

Nu cred că avem nevoie de o menajeră.
I don’t think we need a housekeeper.

pictor — painter

Pictorul era înconjurat de studenții săi.
The painter was surrounded by his students.

salariu — salary

Nu vă puteți permite toate acestea din salariu.
You can’t afford this with your salary.

5. School Days


Empty Classroom

Romania isn’t the hottest destination for students, but it still boasts several famous European universities. With a relatively low cost of living and tuition, why not study among the Carpathians?

carte — book

Această carte e foarte importantă pentru mine.
This book is very important to me.

pix — pen

Dă-mi un pix și o hârtie.
Give me a pen and paper.

creion — pencil

Așteaptă o secundă ca să iau un creion.
Wait a minute, I’ll get a pencil.

facultate — university

Când aveam 20 ani, am renunțat la facultate.
When I was twenty, I dropped out of university.

caiet — notebook

Scrie-ți numărul ăsta în caiet.
Write this number in your notebook.

școală — school

Mergi pe jos până la școală?
Do you walk to school?

student — student

Amândoi suntem studenți.
Both of us are students.

temă — homework

Doar ce mi-am terminat tema la engleză.
I just finished my English homework.

examen — exam

Ultimul examen a fost perfect.
The final exam was perfect.

foarfecă — scissors

Am nevoie de o foarfecă și niște hârtie.
I need a pair of scissors and some paper.

6. At the Restaurant


Nouns 2

Any tourist is going to want to know how to talk about things in a restaurant. Let’s look at what’s on the table first, then what’s on the plates.

platou — plate

Asta e un platou cu fructe și niște iaurt.
That’s a plate of fruit and some yogurt.

castron — bowl

Am un castron uriaș cu bomboane.
I have a giant bowl of candy.

cuțit — knife

Pune cuțitul ala pe podea.
Put that knife on the floor.

furculiță — fork

Am nevoie de furculița aia.
I need that fork.

lingură — spoon

Poți să speli lingura asta, te rog?
Can you wash this spoon, please?

ceașcă — cup

Aceasta nu este ceașca ta.
This is not your cup.

ceainic — teapot

Îmi place cum șuieră ceainicul asta.
I like how this teapot is whistling.

chelner — waiter

Chelnerul a adus aperitivele.
The waiter brought the starters.

chelneriță — waitress

Am fost cea mai bună chelneriță.
I was the best waitress.

nota de plată — bill

Ai plecat fără să achiți nota de plată.
You left without paying the bill.

7. Food and Drink


Family Eating at Thanksgiving

Now it’s time to discuss what’s actually on those plates. Romanian cuisine is hearty and makes use of a lot of cheese and thick sauces.

apă — water

Am nevoie de un pahar cu apă.
I need a glass of water.

cafea — coffee

Vreau o alta cană de cafea.
I want another cup of coffee.

ceai — tea

Ți-am adus niște ceai.
I brought you some tea.

carne de vită — beef

Specialitatea de astăzi este vită stroganoff.
The special today is beef stroganoff.

porcul — pork

Îmi place puiul mai mult decât porcul.
I like chicken better than pork.

pui — chicken

Am pregătit ce îți place, tocăniță de pui.
I made your favorite, chicken stew.

miel — lamb

La prânz am comandat cotlet de miel.
I ordered lamb chops for lunch.

pâine — bread

Pâinea cu mălai este preferata mea.
Cornbread is my favorite.

pește — fish

Îmi place să cumpăr pește din acest magazin.
I like to buy fish from this shop.

bere — beer

Pot să ne aduci niște bere?
Could you bring us some beer?

vin — wine

Ce fel de vin îți place?
What kind of wine do you like?

suc — fruit juice

Dă-mi un suc, te rog.
Give me a juice, please.

lapte — milk

El bea lapte în fiecare zi.
He drinks milk everyday.

8. Mealtimes


Nouns 3

And there are of course names for the different meals throughout the day in Romania.

mic dejun — breakfast

El a ratat un mic dejun foarte bun.
He missed a very nice breakfast.

prânz — lunch

Am crezut că mergem să mâncăm masa de prânz.
I thought we were going to get lunch.

cină — dinner

Am acceptat să luăm cina împreună.
We agreed to have dinner together.

gustare — snack

Mama ne-a pregătit o gustare.
My mother made a snack for us.

ospăț — feast

Ce ospăț pe cinste!
What an amazing feast!

9. Transportation


Women Riding Bus

Most Romanians take buses or cars to get around. It’s also quite common to see people lining up looking to hitch a ride with anybody going out of town! Here are the most important nouns in Romanian for transportation.

stradă — street

Ai grijă când treci strada!
Be careful crossing the street!

mașină — car

Am nevoie de mașina ta.
I need your car.

autobuz — bus

Cât costă un bilet de autobuz?
How much does a bus ticket cost?

stație de autobuz — bus station

L-am așteptat în stația de autobuz.
I picked him up at the bus station.

avion — plane

Învață-mă cum să fac avioane de hârtie.
Teach me how to make paper airplanes.

bicicletă — bicycle

Pot să merg pe un monociclu.
I can ride a bicycle with one wheel.

motocicletă — motorcycle

El a cumpărat cel mai nou model de motocicletă.
He bought the latest model motorcycle.

microbuz — mini-bus

Toate microbuzele sunt pline.
All the mini-buses are full.

tren — train

Trenul pleacă la fiecare jumătate de oră.
The train runs every half hour.

stația de tren / gară — train station

Nu vreau să locuiesc aproape de stația de tren.
I don’t want to live near the train station.

10. Technology


Nouns 4

Romanians tend to interact with technology in English, since a lot of websites and apps don’t have Romanian versions. Therefore, some brand names are simply in English, and other words like “wi-fi” are just pronounced according to Romanian rules.

televizor — TV

Îmi place să mă uit la televizor înainte să adorm.
I like to watch television before I go to sleep.

parolă — password

Care este parola?
What’s the password?

telefon — phone

Pot să folosesc acest telefon?
May I use this phone?

cameră — camera

Am văzut imaginile surprinse de camera de supraveghere.
I saw the security camera images.

tabletă — tablet

Aceste tablete au devenit foarte populare.
Those tablets have become very popular.

11. Around the Home


Are you staying in a bed-and-breakfast, visiting Romanian friends, or renting an apartment? You’ll see these appliances all over Romania no matter what.

frigider / congelator — refrigerator

L-am ajutat pe fratele meu să mute un frigider.
I helped my brother move a refrigerator.

mașina de spălat — washing machine

Mi-am găsit portofelul în mașina de spălat.
I found my wallet in the washing machine.

microunde — microwave

Vreau să folosesc cuptorul cu microunde.
I want to use the microwave.

ventilator — fan

Ventilatorul este pe masă.
The fan is on the table.

radiator — heater

Cred că s-a stricat radiatorul.
I think the heater is broken.

aer condiționat — air conditioner

Nu avem nevoie de un aparat de aer condiționat.
We don’t need an air conditioner.

aragaz — stove

Mâncarea se încălzeșete pe aragaz.
The food is warming up on the stove.

masă — table

Masa dumneavoastră va fi gata îndată, domnule.
Your table will be ready shortly, sir.

scaun — chair

Poți să stai pe scaunul meu.
You can sit on my chair.

canapea — sofa

Ar trebui să cumpărăm o canapea nouă.
We should buy a new sofa.

ușa — door

Deschide ușa și uită-te afară.
Open the door and look outside.

fereastră — window

El doarme cu fereastra deschisă.
He sleeps with his window open.

12. Conclusion


Congratulations, you’ve just read 100 sentences (or about five book pages) of Romanian! But I bet you couldn’t tell me what the first one was. To really lock these words into your memory, you’ve got to come at them again and again, preferably over several days.

If you combine regular and intensive vocabulary review with the normal material and blog posts from RomanianPod101, you’ll be on the number-one path to Romanian excellence.

Eventually, you’ll be ready to start learning about things like Romanian nouns declension and gender, or Romanian verb conjugation!

Are there any important Romanian nouns we missed? Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to help.

Happy Romanian learning!

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The Right Romanian Compliments for Every Situation

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If you know any Romanians, then you might have asked them to teach you a couple of Romanian words in the past.

Most people jump straight to the curse words, which are always good for a laugh.

But there’s another class of words that can have a much better effect. Those are Romanian compliments.

A foreigner who knows how to speak a little Romanian is not a rarity anymore. But someone who knows how to speak Romanian well is hard to come across. How about someone who can pay natural, beautiful compliments in Romanian?

Nearly impossible to find.

However, that can be you. All you have to do is read this article.

Because you can’t just rush into Romanian. It’s different enough from English that some things you’d expect to transfer over simply don’t. This guide is going to help you through those difficulties and toward some truly high-level Romanian.

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Table of Contents

  1. Don’t Be Perfunctory
  2. You Look Great!
  3. Nice Work Today!
  4. Congratulations!
  5. You’re Amazing!
  6. Conclusion

1. Don’t Be Perfunctory

Woman Taking Away Fake Mask from Face

First, we’ve got to get real.

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for romance or if you’re just generally interested in saying something nice.

People can tell when you’re being fake. In fact, many Romanians think that Americans, for example, are superficial for their endless compliments. It’s just a difference in culture, really; in American culture, compliments are sort of a signal of friendship and good faith.

In Romanian, it would come across as strange to compliment people left and right every time you see them.

For that reason, you’ve got to be genuine and mention specific details about the person you wish to compliment. This isn’t difficult to learn—in fact, it just requires that you learn a little bit more advanced vocabulary. That can be a fun challenge in itself!

And what should you expect people to say after you’ve complimented them?

Romanians tend to accept compliments with mersi or mulțumesc, but just as soon might downplay what you’re saying.

You can try the same thing. If someone should happen to tell you this:

  • Vorbiți bine limba română.
    “You speak Romanian well!”

Then you can smile and say something polite like this:

  • Încă mai fac greșeli.
    “I still make mistakes.”

That’s your Romanian home run. Now, what other types of compliments in Romanian are there?

2. You Look Great!

Compliments

All right, the first thing that many people want to know is how to give compliments in a flirty situation.

You’re hanging out at a local bar, it’s a sultry summer evening, and someone catches your eye. But they’ve probably gotten a number of come-ons from foreigners that evening. Wouldn’t it be better to open up in Romanian?

First let’s talk about first impressions. When giving romantic compliments, Romanians often start with a general description, if you will.

  • Ești frumoasă.
    “You’re beautiful.”
  • Ești chipeș.
    “You’re handsome.”
  • Ești drăguț.
    “You’re cute.”
  • Arăți minunat.
    “You look gorgeous.”

Nothing too crazy, just some simple statements of beauty. The last one can be gender-neutral, though the first two are gender-coded like their English translations.

In our imaginary scenario, we’re of course using the informal tu form. It would sound kind of weird to use the formal dumneavoastră, unless everyone present is middle-aged or older.

Remember, it’s important to be specific when you’re paying compliments, even more so when love may hang in the balance. You don’t want to say what they’ve already been hearing for the entire evening.

  • Zâmbești foarte frumos.
    “Your smile is beautiful.”
  • Îți stă bine cu jacheta aceea.
    “That jacket looks nice on you.”
  • Miroși bine.
    “You smell good.”

We’ll keep this an all-ages article and draw the line there.

If things happen to go well with the person you’re meeting at the bar, romantic phrases in Romanian pretty much all take the form of compliments as well. Here are just two to get your imagination going.

  • Eşti cel mai bun lucru din viaţa mea.
    “You’re the best thing in my life.”
  • Tu ești totul pentru mine.
    “You’re everything to me.”

It looks like finding a Romanian partner might be the best way to get yourself interested in Romanian compliments!

3. Nice Work Today!

Coworkers Chatting After Work

Romanian employers welcome foreign talent, particularly skilled talent. Given that many old Romanians don’t speak very good English, one of the skills you might need is good Romanian!

Should you happen to end up on a Romanian team or overseeing work at the Romanian branch of your company, a couple of well-placed compliments can go a very long way, even if the working language in the office is English.

  • Foarte bine!
    “Well done!”
  • Bună treabă!
    “Great job!”
  • Performanța ta a depășit așteptările mele.
    “Your performance exceeded my expectations.”

After doing business in Romania for a long time, you might be left in charge of the interview process, where you can throw out compliments like this one:

  • CV-ul tău este impresionant.
    “Your resume is impressive.”

Using this compliment in Romanian is also a good way to test people, even in your home country. If they put “Romanian” on their CV and don’t know how to react to that phrase, then perhaps it’s time to end the interview!

Sometimes the best compliments come from people who rarely give them. In those cases, a compliment may not even seem like a compliment at first:

  • Ține-o tot așa!
    “Keep this up!”

If you hear that one at work, though, it means you’re very much on the right track to success.

How about in a business meeting? With a lot on the line, you may want to stick with English for the first few years at the job. However, if you work on your business Romanian, someday soon you may find yourself coming up with phrases like these:

  • Sunt foarte impresionat de produsul vostru, dar avem nevoie de o soluție mai bună.
    “I’m very impressed with your product, but we need a better solution.”

4. Congratulations!

Positive

When you’re out with your Romanian friends, they may not be expecting compliments from you.

For one thing, they might not expect you to speak Romanian! Having learned their language is a compliment in itself.

For another, friends generally don’t give each other honest and deep compliments. It’s often more surface-level stuff like the appearance phrases at the beginning of the article. You’ll find more phrases like that in this section, by the way.

First, we’ll look at two that are easy since they’re exactly the same as in English. When you learn cognates like this, though, remember to pronounce them the Romanian way.

  • Super!
    “Super!”
  • Bravo!
    “Bravo!”
  • Minunat!
    “Outstanding!”

When someone’s really been working hard on something, it’s good to let them know that you see it. Imagine you have a friend who’s been in his room writing page after page of essays until late into the night. What might you say to him?

  • Lucrezi din greu!
    “You’re working really hard!”
  • Știu că va fi minunat.
    “I know it’s going to be great.”

And then, one day, he’s all finished and his essays have been published. It looks like congratulations are in order!

  • Felicitări! O meriți.
    “Congratulations! You deserve it.”

5. You’re Amazing!

Old Man Painting Scenery

Everybody has a special skill of some kind. Some people call their skills useless or just hobbies, but no hobby is useless if it brings you enjoyment.

Perhaps your friends or acquaintances are showing off their hobbies, like salsa dancing, poetry writing, or guitar. Romanians tend to be shy performers, so some encouraging compliments are exactly what some people need to step out of their shells.

  • Extraordinar!
    “Amazing!”
  • Ai talent la scris.
    “You have a way with words.”

Literally, this last sentence translates to “You have talent in writing.” Switch out the hobby as needed!
Now imagine that you’ve stopped in a small restaurant in a small town somewhere in Transylvania. Wouldn’t it be nice to compliment the chef?

  • Îmi place ce ați gătit.
    “I love your cooking.”
  • E delicios!
    “It’s delicious!”

Finally, you can tell your friends that you simply like hanging out with them. No matter how infrequently it comes up, people like to hear from their friends that they’re appreciated.

  • Ești un prieten bun.
    “You’re a good friend.” (to a man)
  • Ești o prietenă bună.
    “You’re a good friend.” (to a woman)
  • Eu chiar te admir.
    “I really admire you.”

6. Conclusion

There’s something to be said for studying Romanian in the sink-or-swim way. The faster you’re thrown into real situations where you’ve got to speak Romanian to get by, the faster you’ll start speaking something.

But if you get tossed into Romania tomorrow and have to pick up everything as fast as you can, you’ll more than likely form some bad habits and ignore some of the finer points of the Romanian language and culture.

The culture aspect, especially, is going to take a hit as you’ll be mostly focused on language.

The way to avoid overlooking all of the details of culture in Romania is to do your best to consume content tailor-made to show you the grammar, vocabulary, and culture points that you need to know.

Maybe you see it coming already—that’s exactly what you get with RomanianPod101.com. Your language-learning journey has never been easier, so create your free basic lifetime account today and enjoy the fast-track to Romanian success.

In the meantime, did we miss any important compliments or occasions? Don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments section with any questions you still have about Romanian compliments, and we’ll do our best to help you out!

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How to Express Anger in Romanian on Your Bad Days

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Are you having a bad day in Bucharest? Crabby in Cluj? Testy in Timișoara?

You might want to take a deep breath and let it out.

Or not.

Because sometimes it’s really necessary to put your anger into words and tell others how you really feel.

Or suppose somebody’s harassing you. You don’t want to give them any kind of leeway—you want them gone, and pronto.

So now is the perfect time for you to review (or learn for the first time) how to express your anger in Romanian with some angry words and phrases you can use.

We’re not going to get too explicit here. Learning some mild insults, sentence patterns about anger, and maybe some more serious insults is good enough. Anything you want to express with these phrases is going to come across crystal-clear, guaranteed.

And in this article, in particular, you’ll get to begin exploring the very rich world of Romanian idioms and creative language. Trust us, there’s a whole universe out there!

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Table of Contents

  1. Discussing Your Angry Feelings
  2. Get Out of My Face
  3. Don’t Look for Trouble
  4. Shut Your Trap
  5. Look What You’ve Done
  6. Let it All Go
  7. Let’s Take This Outside
  8. Say You’re Sorry
  9. Conclusion

1. Discussing Your Angry Feelings

Man Screaming

Let’s begin by talking about emotions. Romanians are quite open and forthright about their emotions, finding it easy to express anger, happiness, and fear. Here are a few perfect phrases for letting someone know you’re angry in Romanian:

  • Sunt foarte nervos.
    I feel really angry.
  • Sunt atât de nervos pe tine!
    I’m so angry at you!
  • Sunt supărat.
    I’m upset.
  • Acest lucru este atât de frustrant.
    This is so frustrating.

You may or may not already know that Romanian is an extremely rich language. We mentioned above that there are some great idioms out there, and here are two fantastic examples.

  • Îmi sare muștarul!
    My mustard is gonna jump off! (from annoyance)

There’s pretty much no explanation for this one, except that it certainly means you’re very annoyed with the world!

  • Mă freci la icre!
    That really rubs my caviar!

“Caviar” is a loose translation; really, we’re talking about fish eggs in general. Imagine that you’re about to dig into a tasty bowl of caviar (a very typical feature at Romanian dinners, by the way), and then somebody puts their bare hand in and rubs it all around.

That would be awful! And what you’re feeling now, imagining such an injustice, is the feeling evoked by this idiom in Romanian.

2. Get Out of My Face

Angry Man Pointing

Sometimes politely saying “no” or turning away isn’t enough to get somebody to stop bothering you. If you’ve got an annoying co-worker or you’re being harassed on the street, there are a couple of great things you can say to send a message.

First, another classic Romanian phrase.

  • Ura și la gara!
    Hurray! To the train station!

What’s the deal with this non-sequitur? It shows that you don’t care at all, like “Whoopee, now let’s get going.” It’s very important to say it in a sarcastic tone of voice!

  • Mă scoți din pepeni.
    You’re taking me out of my watermelons.

And another! This is silly and idiomatic, but the meaning is clear to any Romanian: “You’re making me annoyed and you’d better stop it.” Imagine a watermelon on the vine suddenly very cross with the world when a farmer starts to pick it, and you’ve got some idea of the sentiment.

Of course, there are plenty of other phrases that are less funny, less idiomatic, but still good Romanian—and more importantly, communicate the message in a bitingly clear way.

  • Nu vreau să te mai văd pe-aici.
    I don’t want to see you here again.
  • Mi-e indiferent.
    I don’t care.

You might think that this translates as “I am indifferent,” but look at the pronouns again. The literal translation is “It is to me all the same.”

  • Termină!
    That’s enough!

Termină literally means “End (it)!” This is great for situations where somebody is doing something small and annoying to you, or as we say in English, really “pushing your buttons,” with stupid, repetitive behavior.

  • Nu vreau să vorbesc cu tine.
    “I don’t want to talk to you.”

3. Don’t Look for Trouble

Complaints

If you’re the physically imposing type, you may not have to ever use these phrases. These are for when your “back off” words didn’t quite have the desired effect. The rudeness is turned up here, and when spoken in a harsh tone, the other person is quite likely to understand with haste that they’re making the wrong life decisions.

  • Mișcă-te.
    Beat it.

Because of the reflexive verb here, this first phrase has a sense of “get yourself completely out of here.” Unfortunately, that sense can only come across in the crudest of ways in translation.

  • Cu mine vorbești?
    Are you talking to me?
  • Cine te crezi?
    Who do you think you are?

4. Shut Your Trap

Woman being Bossy

Have you been in an argument recently? If you have, you probably wanted to say things in your own defense, but the other party probably wasn’t having it.

What a terrible, frustrating feeling! You can turn that around on others, though, by simply telling them directly that you don’t want to hear a single thing they have to say.

  • Vreau să nu mai vorbești.
    I want you to stop talking.

Starting off here, we have what could be a polite request, but we all know that it probably won’t be. By saying this one in a commanding tone, you’re asserting your authority, and more importantly, your importance in the context of the situation.

  • Dispari!
    Get away!

This is actually the same root word as “to shoot,” and so it has the sense of “fly away from here.” That said, it’s actually considered one of the ruder ways to express this particular sentiment in Romanian.

Here a couple more ways to express your anger in Romanian:

  • Lasă-mă în pace!
    Leave me alone!
  • Taci!
    Shut up!

You may recognize the Latin root here from taciturn. There’s only the barest of similarities here with what English speakers associate that root with. In Romanian, this is a short, terse order, and woe betide anyone who keeps talking afterward.

  • Stai jos și taci.
    Sit down and shut up.

5. Look What You’ve Done

Negative Verbs

Blaming people is always a sure-fire way to get them riled up, so you shouldn’t blame people for things you know they didn’t do unless you’re the one looking for trouble.

  • Mă minți.
    You’re lying to me.

Romanian society, in addition to a stronger tie with emotions, also has a lot of honor attached to it. If someone is caught lying, they’re normally not trusted for a while, even within their circle of friends. And if you call someone a liar, then—whether or not they were actually lying—they’re liable to get heated.

  • Nu mă asculți.
    You’re not listening to me.
  • Ești dus cu pluta.
    You’ve gone on a raft.

6. Let it All Go

Woman Doing Yoga

Insults and fighting are fun to think about, but nobody really wants things to go that direction. You can do your best here to calm everybody down with some soothing words.

When you’re de-escalating a situation, you should try to make people feel respected and listened to. This is huge with customers—maybe you’re working in a hotel or restaurant with Romanian guests and they’re upset over the service.

  • În regulă, las-o mai moale.
    Alright, take it easy.
  • Am greșit amândoi.
    We made a mistake.
  • Înțeleg, dar trebuie să te calmezi.
    I understand, but you’ve got to calm down.

Remember that telling somebody else to calm down, in most cases, has the opposite effect! You have to really lean into this one, and show them that there’s really no need to be upset.

  • Hai să nu ne certăm.
    Let’s not fight.
  • Ai dreptate, îmi pare rău.
    You’re right, I’m sorry.
  • Hai să uităm totul, bine?
    Let’s forget about it, okay?

7. Let’s Take This Outside

Two Kids Fighting

Diplomacy can only really go so far. Even people with the most saintlike patience have a breaking point where they just have to let out their feelings and lash out at the world.

You should, however, be careful. There’s such a huge number of YouTube videos and articles out there about cursing in other languages that it can seem really fun to go and do it yourself once you know how.

But there are few things more dangerous for your social standing. Imagine you’re trying to accept a foreign learner into your social circle but they always take jokes and insults too far. It’ll get very old very fast.

And you didn’t grow up hearing and feeling insults in Romanian! You don’t have that innate sense of what they really mean—so be very careful when using them, and even when joking around with them.

  • Pe mă-ta!
    Your mother!

This is an insult all around the world, even though it doesn’t really mean anything literally. The implications, though, are vast and serious. Romanian actually takes things to an entirely different plane of vulgarity and obscenity, particularly with regard to mothers. In the interest of decency, we’re not going to print the really bad stuff.

  • Porcule!
    You swine!
  • Du-te dracu’!
    Go to hell!
  • Rahat ambulant!
    You walking turd!
  • Țăranule!
    Peasant!

The divide between city and country is felt rather strongly in Romania, and so to call somebody a peasant implies a great deal of backwardness and lack of education. Few people in Romania are pining for a quiet rural life, that’s for sure.

  • Ești un laș.
    You’re a coward.

A couple of sections ago, we mentioned that honesty is important in Romanian society. So is bravery, of course. Calling somebody a coward can never end well, as even people who don’t care much for older notions of “honor” are going to feel that sting.

8. Say You’re Sorry

After walking away from the situation, thinking about it for a while, and calming down, you might have a sinking feeling of dread.

What if you were in the wrong, after all?

You probably were a little bit too forceful with your words, and so the best thing to do here is to be the bigger person and apologize.

Note that this is slightly different than trying to de-escalate a situation because here the bad stuff has already happened. However, a lot of the sentiments are the same.

The basic way to say “I’m sorry” in Romanian is Îmi pare rău. Let’s assume, though, that your foul deeds included all of the awful insults just discussed above. That’s not very forgivable very quickly, and so you’d better up the ante a little bit with sincerity.

  • Îmi pare foarte rău.
    I’m very sorry.

Apologies only go so far, of course. Making promises is the next step, where you admit your own wrongs and explain why you’re going to do better in the future.

  • Nu trebuia să spun asta.
    I shouldn’t have said that.
  • Nu trebuia să țip la tine.
    I shouldn’t have yelled at you.
  • Am greșit că am făcut asta.
    I was wrong to do that.
  • Nu vreau să fac asta din nou.
    I won’t do that again.
  • Am făcut o greșeală teribilă.
    I made a terrible mistake.

Will anybody believe you after the terrible things you said? Maybe. Only time will tell.

9. Conclusion

Here we’ve seen just how many ways there are to start trouble with angry words in Romanian. Even more, we’ve seen that it can lead to scary situations and call for desperate apologies if you overdo it.

Why do that at all?

With RomanianPod101, you can learn to do better. Our lessons teach you the words you really need, in the way that makes the most sense to you.

From articles like this one to our video series and flagship podcast, you’ll get to know the subtle cues in Romanian culture so that you can use language like this on purpose, not by accident.

All of those articles about making cultural faux pas and having natives be offended simply assume that you don’t know the language. By learning to speak Romanian well, you’ll avoid ever causing any trouble with your words.

So really, there’s nothing to be angry about. Try out RomanianPod101 and see what it can bring to you!

What’s your favorite Romanian angry phrase from this article? What are the most common angry phrases in your native language? We look forward to hearing from you in the comments below!

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Life Event Messages: Happy Birthday in Romanian & Beyond

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There’s a lot to be said for being able to make good small talk in another language. Conversations can start up and keep going indefinitely with the right people.

But what can you talk about? Perhaps you’ve tried talking about something like the weather, or food, but didn’t get terribly far.

Or perhaps you’ve already met someone in Romania and gotten along with them, but you don’t know what to talk about whenever you hang out.

The truth is, all you really need is this list. For starters, anyway, as you begin learning how to wish someone a happy birthday in Romanian and similar best wishes in Romanian.

Take a look at these different situations. They all represent life events, big or small, that can be the topic of a great conversation. All you need to do is take the initiative and start chatting!

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Table of Contents

  1. Birthdays
  2. Holidays
  3. Weddings and Anniversaries
  4. Babies
  5. Graduation or Academic Success
  6. Workplace Success
  7. Bad News in General
  8. Good News in General
  9. Conclusion

1. Birthdays

Happy Birthday

We can’t pretend for a moment that Romanians don’t celebrate birthdays. They do, and in style. Families celebrate birthdays for their young children as soon as they’re able to, and even into adulthood most people stick with the tradition of getting together and spending time with good friends.

  • La mulţi ani!
    Happy Birthday! (Literally: To many years!)

You can also say happy birthday in Romanian this way (it’s something you’ll mostly see on cards):

  • Toate urările de bine!
    A Happy Birthday to you!

Or perhaps:

  • Zâmbeşte, iubeşte, trăieşte!
    Smile, love, live!

Another way to wish all the best in a very friendly way in Romanian is: să ai un an bun, which literally means “I hope you’ll have a good year.” It refers to all 365 days of the year until that person’s next birthday!

How about a birthday song? Well, to be honest, most young people see English as so trendy that they’d rather just sing Happy Birthday to You in English. And yet, as Romanians, there’s still something much more special about la mulţi ani, and that one’s not going away soon.

For a true Romanian birthday song, check out Cine să trăiască, which means “Who is to live?” Hint: It’s the one who’s having the birthday.

2. Holidays

In this section, you’ll learn holiday greetings in Romanian for the most popular Romanian holidays.

Romania is a relatively religious country, specifically when it comes to Christianity. Other religions don’t get nearly as much prominence in general Romanian culture. And so as part of the classical Western European cultural tradition, Christmas is perhaps the number-one Romanian holiday.

So, ready to learn how to say Merry Christmas in Romanian? Just like in English, there’s one very useful phrase that you can use to say Merry Christmas in Romanian. It might be a little hard to say, but everyone will appreciate your attempt!

  • Crăciun fericit!
    Merry Christmas!

And what comes after Christmas?

Why, it’s New Year’s Day, of course! In Romania, despite the cold, people gather together on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to sing and dance and make merry. You can wish your Romanian friends a happy new year in Romanian with this phrase:

  • Să ai un An Nou fericit!
    Happy New Year!

Next is Easter, another popular holiday in Romania that’s often celebrated in a festive way. The tradition of Easter egg hunting is alive and well in Romania, as well as Easter Mass in the churches. To wish someone a Happy Easter, simply say Paşte fericit!

Valentine’s Day is actually celebrated slightly differently in Romania compared to in other countries. It only really entered the cultural consciousness in the last few years as an “international” holiday. Before that, there was a much older cultural holiday known as Dragobete, celebrated on February 24 to mark a day of togetherness as spring arrives.

As for appropriate Valentine’s Day wishes, this is one place where you’d better personalize it! You’ll see the English phrase “Happy Valentine’s Day” out and about (particularly in advertisements), but if you’re dating a Romanian, try to put a little more effort into it than that. There are no set phrases here—just love from the heart.

3. Weddings and Anniversaries

Marriage Proposal

Before a wedding can happen, there’s obviously got to be a proposal and an engagement. Let’s say you’ve found out about the engagement of one of your friends from a post on social media. You can message them and say:

After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to when the actual wedding ceremony will occur. In Romania, many weddings typically occur in churches, as very formal events. Or at least, for part of it. The rest of the ceremony is almost certain to last well into the night, and you’d better have a good excuse if you want to get any sleep!

Accordingly, one of the “strongest” forms of congratulations in Romanian you can give is usually found at weddings, whether in speeches, in cards, or over a firm handshake.

    • Casă de piatră şi felicitări!
      Warm wishes and congratulations!
  • Felicitări mirelui şi miresei pentru fericitul eveniment!
    Congratulations to the bride and groom on their happy union!

If you’ve been invited to the wedding, that’s great. But if you can’t make it, and you’d still like to send the happy couple your greetings, you can use this Romanian wedding congratulations phrase.

  • Felicitări pentru unirea destinelor!
    Congratulations on tying the knot!

After a wedding, there’s just one more thing that people tend to celebrate—at least in this realm of life. That’s the anniversary, and the way people say “happy anniversary” in Romanian isn’t much different from how it’s done in English.

  • Aniversare frumoasă!
    Happy anniversary!

The concept of the “silver” (argint), or 25-year, and the “gold” (aur), or 50-year, anniversaries are recognized in Romania too.

  • Felicitări cu ocazia nunţii de aur!
    Congratulations on your golden anniversary!

4. Babies

Talking about Age

A new baby means a lot. It’s a new member of the family, a new mind exploring the world, and a whole new stage of life for the parents.

In contrast to some of the other well-wishes we’ve looked at before, Romanian congratulations for new parents is rather different from English. The typical message of congratulations is more like a little poem or wish.

  • Să vă trăiască și să fie sănătos!
    May they live for you, may they be healthy!

That covers it pretty well for talking to people in person. The following two phrases are a little bit less personal, and so they’d be good for cards or emails.

    • Felicitări pentru noul sosit!
      Congratulations on your new arrival!
  • Am fost încântaţi să aflăm despre naşterea bebelușului/ bebelușei vostru / voastre.
    We were so happy to hear of the birth of your new baby boy / girl.

5. Graduation or Academic Success

Romania might not have the international prestige of other countries when it comes to universities, but nevertheless, every year thousands of brilliant graduates throw their caps in the air and embark on the next stage of their development.

When it comes to graduates, the type of things you say and the way you say them are likely to be quite different, depending on whether you’re graduating in the same class or if you’re just talking to someone who’s finished their school.

For the first case, you can use this phrase for lightly teasing someone who did really well in their classes.

  • Cine este geniul nostru?
    Who’s this genius?

Now, here are some phrases you can include in more formal or less personal messages.

    • Felicitări cu ocazia absolvirii!
      Congratulations on your graduation!
  • Felicitări pentru master şi mult noroc în viitor!
    Congratulations on the Master’s degree, and lots of luck in the future!

6. Workplace Success

Coworkers in Office Together

Do you know anyone who’s up for a promotion? Or maybe looking to switch careers? Generally, in Romania most companies try to maintain a culture of friendship, especially if you’ve been working with the same people for a long time.

If someone you know is going to take a big leap in their professional life, encourage them with these phrases.

    • Îţi urăm noroc şi succes.
      We wish you luck and success.
  • O poți face!
    You can do it!

And then, assuming everything all worked out for them, congratulations are in order!

    • Felicitări pentru obţinerea postului!
      Congratulations on your new job!
  • Mult noroc pe viitor!
    Best of luck for the future!

7. Bad News in General

We’ll take a brief detour here into something a little less upbeat.

It’s important to know how to appropriately offer condolences in Romanian to others when they’ve met with misfortune in their lives. If you know someone who’s going through a rough patch, you should definitely reach out to them.

However, be careful here. Make sure you mean what you say. Romanians take friendships seriously, and that means you can’t just shoot off a quick text and expect it to be received the same as if you had visited in person with flowers.

In short, be genuine, and if your Romanian isn’t very strong, perhaps stick to English or another shared language if you don’t feel very confident with these phrases yet.

Below are some best wishes in Romanian for when a friend is going through a rough time, to get you started.

1- Funerals

You might think that a Romanian funeral would be an extremely somber occasion. And it’s true; there’s certainly a place for serious formality. However, Romanian funeral traditions can be quite diverse.

At such an occasion, you’ll certainly hear this phrase:

  • Dumnezeu să-l odihnească în pace!
    May God rest him in peace!

Although there may be celebrations of life, it’s far, far better to err on the side of being too formal when you give your condoleanţe or “condolences.” Here are some elegant Romanian condolences you can use to comfort others in their time of loss.

    • Gândurile noastre sunt alături de tine în aceste momente dificile.
      Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
    • Ne pare foarte rău pentru pierderea suferită.
      We are very sorry to hear of your loss.
  • În aceste clipe grele prin care treci să nu uiţi că suntem alături de tine.
    Do not forget that we are with you in this difficult time.

2- Poor Health

Nowadays, it seems like people rarely send get-well cards. But that doesn’t mean they go unappreciated. Whether you’re suffering from a really bad cold or spending a couple of days in the hospital, it always feels great to know if you’re on somebody’s mind.

    • Însănătoşire grabnică!
      Get well soon!
    • Însănătoşirea are nevoie de timp. Îţi doresc tot binele din lume.
      Healing takes time. I wish you all the best.
    • Mă gândesc la tine tot timpul!
      Thinking of you!
  • Nu pot să-ți iau suferința, dar sufăr alături de tine.
    I can’t take your pain, but I suffer with you.

Any of these might sound a little cheesy, especially if you show up with a card and a huge bouquet when somebody’s just down with the sniffles. Again, though, it’s better to be thought of as somebody who cares too much than somebody who cares too little.

8. Good News in General

Over-Excited Little Kid

And in order to end on a happy note, let’s look at just a few more phrases you can use for any kind of catch-all good stuff. Becoming familiar with these congratulations in Romanian means that you’ll be able to quickly and fluently praise or encourage people, no matter what they’re facing in life.

    • Minunat!
      Awesome!
  • Să fie într-un ceas bun!
    Have a great time!

And finally, here are two more general phrases that are more fitting for a congratulatory email or social media post—they just sound a little stiff when spoken aloud to a close friend.

    • Bine lucrat cu …
      Well done on…
  • Îţi urez succes în…
    I wish you success in…

9. Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed learning about Romanian life event messages, and other best wishes in Romanian, with RomanianPod101. Did you learn anything new today? Are there still some life events you want messages for? Let us know in the comments!

It may seem that we’ve covered just about all there is in a person’s life, but as it turns out, the human experience is so much more than just a series of important events.

These represent points where you can hopefully spark a conversation or make some contact with somebody else. What ends up happening a lot of the time is that you’re aware a friend or colleague of yours has something important coming up, and then you try out one of these phrases.

Pleasantly surprised, they start asking you (in Romanian) how you know that saying, and the ball keeps rolling from there. Maybe after that, you’re invited to a wedding or a graduation party. You never know!

After that, will your Romanian be up to the task? Better take a look at the rest of our materials here on RomanianPod101.

Happy studying!

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Chatting about Romania Weather Like a Pro

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I remember even when I was little, I knew that chatting about the weather was sort of cliché.

I had no idea how you would do it—what, you would just say it was hot or cold?

It turns out, obviously, that yes, that is the case. That’s exactly what you do, and otherwise society would break down.

Men in Black Coats and Hats Walking Under Gray Sky

Well, maybe that’s a little overdramatic. But my point is that chatting about the weather fills a really important role of small talk that’s always accessible. If you dash under a coffee shop awning during a sudden cloudburst and there’s someone else there too, what else can you do but laugh and curse the sky?

When you get to Romania, you’ll probably be itching to try out your language skills on others. You don’t have to be close friends to switch to Romanian with someone.

Simply talk about the weather in Romania with the first stranger you see! It should be a piece of cake once you learn the most practical weather vocabulary Romanians use, and how they work in sentences.

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Table of Contents

  1. The Climate and Seasons of Romania
  2. Talking about Cold Weather
  3. Talking about Hot Weather
  4. Complaining about Bad Weather
  5. Can the Weather Make You Sick?
  6. Other Natural Occurrences
  7. Temperature and Degrees
  8. Idioms about the Weather
  9. How RomanianPod101 Can Help You Master Romanian Conversation

1. The Climate and Seasons of Romania

Weather

Romania is one of those countries that gets to experience the classic four seasons that are very distinct from one another. This means that the weather in Romania year-round is anything but dull!

There’s really no need to go through weather in Romania by month, but here is a breakdown of what to expect each season:

In spring, people unbundle themselves from their winter gear and enjoy the green countryside and the blooming fields of flowers.

In summer, things heat up. It can get pretty warm in most places, particularly the middle areas that get neither the cool air from Northern Europe nor the sea breeze from the Mediterranean. We’re talking highs of 35 degrees Celsius (or 95 degrees Fahrenheit)—uncomfortable, sure, but not deadly.

As autumn rolls around, the leaves change to beautiful colors and temperatures drop slowly and surely.

Finally, Romanian weather in winter maintains a moderate climate, though winters do tend to be relatively long and chilly. Average temperatures usually hover around or below zero all season long, and up in the mountains it can get colder than -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit)!

Speaking of winter…

2. Talking about Cold Weather

Autumn

You probably already know how to say and use the word “cold.” Let’s get a little bit more advanced with some idiomatic words and phrases.

Here’s something you can use for, oh, about two or three months during the year, when it’s neither burning hot nor freezing cold.

  • Este un pic rece, aici.
    “It’s a little chilly here outside.”

But then, once winter hits:

  • Îngheț de frig.
    “I’m freezing cold.”

The word îngheț shares a root with the Italian word gelato, but instead of anything sweet, it simply means “to freeze.” Frig might be even easier to recognize since it’s so close to frigid or fridge in English.

So sure, it’s cold outside. But what does the cold bring with it? Snow.

  • Zăpada era până la genunchi.
    “The snow was knee-deep.”

Child Playing in Deep Snow

In a little bit, we’ll discuss complaining, but here you can get a head start with this sad lament:

  • Uneori se simte de parcă aici zăpada nu se topește niciodată.
    “Sometimes it seems like the snow here never melts.”

It’s not just Eskimos that have a lot of words for snow. Anybody living with snow on any regular basis has different words for the different types of snow that can appear on the ground or in the air.

I bet you can think of quite a few right now. There’s sleet, snowdrift, snowbank, snowstorm, hail… So here are just two sentences for special precipitation words.

  • Prognoza vremii prezice lapoviță.
    “The forecast predicts sleet.”
  • Craiova este îngropată sub o furtună de zăpadă.
    “Craiova is buried under a snowstorm.”

3. Talking about Hot Weather

Spring

Although we opened with cold weather, we could have done just the same with hot. Romania in late summer is definitely not a time you want to be in a sweater.

The air is often humid, and cloudless skies provide ample opportunity for the sun to beat down on your neck.

People who go for walks in the Romanian countryside might find this phrase handy.

  • Sunt sub un soare arzător.
    “I am under a blazing sun.”

Family Walking in Field Under Hot Sun

What we might also call a “scorching sun” or “burning sun” in English actually has two more ways to translate into Romanian: bătaia soarelui and soare arzător.

Heat is never just heat, of course. We can have dry heat and humid heat, both of which have pretty direct equivalents in Romania, even if humid weather is much more likely.

  • Îmi place vremea caldă și uscată.
    “I like dry heat.”
  • Este foarte umed azi.
    “It’s very humid today.”

Personally, I can’t stand humid weather. It just plain wears me out and makes me crabby. For that reason, we have the following section:

4. Complaining about Bad Weather

Complaints

It has been said, perhaps unfairly, that complaining is an art in Romania. Knowing precisely how much to mope while staying polite (as polite as is required in your circumstances) does take some practice.

Here’s how you can whine about Romanian weather without crossing the line into being a party pooper. Don’t blame the people or even the country for the bad day you’re having. Just talk about not liking it, and I guarantee people will join in.

  • Urăsc genul asta de vreme.
    “I hate this type of weather.”

Woman Uncomfortably Cold

You can, of course, be more specific about why you’re not a big fan of the weather.

  • Este prea cald afară.
    “It’s too hot outside.”

Be sure not to use the word fierbinte here, as that’s for a hot object, not the weather.

  • Nu-l atinge, e prea fierbinte.
    “Don’t touch it, it’s too hot.”

The verb we used earlier, urăsc, literally means “I hate.” That’s pretty strong! Here’s how we can tone it down:

  • Mie nu-mi place frigul.
    “I don’t like the cold.”

The word frig in Romanian is fairly versatile. It captures all the senses of “cold,” “chilly,” and even “freezing,” that we have to use different words for in English.

Just in case you’re having such a bad day that you want to burn some bridges, here are a couple of phrases to really sound like you’d rather leave. Better save these for a day with some really miserable weather conditions.

  • Cum poți să reziști aici?
    “How can you stand it here?”
  • Mi-e dor de țara mea.
    “I miss my country.”

Of course, if you say these with a rueful shake of the head and a grin, people will understand that you’re joking, and you’ll probably even get high praise for being able to navigate the humor so well!

5. Can the Weather Make You Sick?

Well, a lot of people say yes, and a lot of people say no. Sun or snow can’t actually introduce germs into the atmosphere, but it can definitely change how your body reacts to them.

This is perhaps the classic health advice related to the weather, whether in Romania or outside it.

  • Nu ieși în ploaie.
    “Don’t go out in the rain.”

Some people are more direct about asking you to do things, and some people prefer to just make more polite suggestions.

  • Cred că ar fi bine să porți un palton.
    “I really think you should wear a coat.”

Perhaps you just won’t get that chilly. In response, you can offer this retort:

  • Am să mă îmbrac cu un pulover.
    “I’ll wear a sweater.”

It’s always good to be able to use a “did you remember?” type of sentence. To really fix it in your memory, imagine that you’re driving in a car and the clouds absolutely open up with rain. The other person turns to you and says:

  • Ți-ai adus umbrela?
    “Did you remember to bring an umbrella?”
  • Oh, nu se poate! Am uitat-o!
    “Oh no, I forgot!”

Whatever you do, if you end up not following these directions and getting sick anyway, don’t let on about it. Otherwise you’re just inviting this phrase:

  • Ți-am spus eu…
    “I told you so…”

6. Other Natural Occurrences

Fortunately, Romania doesn’t suffer from many particularly dangerous natural disasters. At least, nothing that happens with enough regularity to warn people away.

That being the case, sometimes big weather events do happen, and it’s good to be prepared with that vocabulary too.

1- Floods (inundații)

Bad Flooding on Road

Floods are certainly the most common type of disaster to strike Romania. Lots of rivers, and comparatively less investment in flood protection, means that every few years the rivers swell up and the water makes life rough for people in the lowlands. The last major flood to hit the capital was in 2014, when water rushing through the streets paralyzed traffic for more than a day.

  • Nu pot să cred cât de groaznică este inundația.
    “I can’t believe how bad the flood is!”

2- Earthquakes (cutremur)

Many people don’t think of Europe as a place that experiences a lot of earthquakes, but they’re definitely known to happen in Romania and other southern countries. Interestingly, the majority of Romania’s earthquakes take place in a single county that’s remarkably seismically active.

Although there have been some very serious earthquakes there in the past, there has been a lot of retrofitting and earthquake-proof construction, and the last earthquake that caused major damage was in the early 1990s.

  • Cutremurul cu magnitudinea de 6.5 a avut loc în apropierea Bucureștiului.
    “The magnitude 6.5 earthquake happened near Bucharest.”

7. Temperature and Degrees

Romania uses degrees Celsius, just like the rest of Europe. Many houses have thermometers hanging outside their front doors.

  • Aici, temperatura a ajuns la 35 grade.
    “The temperature reached 35 degrees (Celsius) here.”

If you do need to specify Celsius specifically, just say grade Celsius. Fahrenheit is exactly the same word in Romanian, just spoken in a Romanian accent, of course.

And perhaps you look at the number on the readout and you absolutely can’t believe your eyes. What should you say?

  • Ceva nu este în regulă cu acest termometru!
    “There must be something wrong with this thermometer!”

Thermometer Showing It’s Very Cold

Check out the rather unique construction typically used when talking about degrees—you’ll want to use two instances of de, once before and once after the actual degree number.

  • Prognoze meteo pentru Deva este de 18 grade.
    “The forecast for Deva is 18 degrees.”

8. Idioms about the Weather

Weather is, well, eternal. No matter where you are or when you are, you’re going to experience some type of weather. And so it logically follows that all cultures and all languages have long traditions of describing different weather conditions, often quite metaphorically. Because, of course, why speak stiffly and directly about something if you already have such a deep shared cultural history?

Besides, Romania is quite colorful with its idioms in general.

And so that brings us to a short yet helpful list of some typical Romanian turns of phrase related to the weather.

  • Soare cu dinți
    “Sun with teeth

Sound spooky? Well, it is unusual, but it’s nothing to worry about. This is how Romanians describe a sunny day with cold weather.

  • Plouă cu broaşte
    “A rain of frogs

Three Frogs on Rock Together

It’s funny how some types of idioms can have oddly similar counterparts in different languages. Everybody knows that “raining cats and dogs” has a figurative meaning. When you hear plouă cu broaşte, you might have the same reaction for a moment that a foreigner would when hearing the English!

  • a face vânt cuiva
    “to make wind to someone”

No, that’s not pass wind, it’s make wind. Very different! It turns out that Romanian actually has a ton of verbs with a face meaning “to make.” They’re usually idiomatic, and this is one of the most common ways it’s used when talking about weather. It’s a fancy way to say “push someone,” like with your hands to get them out of the way. It can also mean “to fire someone,” or “to get rid of someone (who is bothering you).”

9. How RomanianPod101 Can Help You Master Romanian Conversation

The best thing about using the weather as a conversational topic is that you can really discuss it at any skill level.

If you’re just a beginner, you can get practice by simply saying that the weather is nice, or that it’s too hot or too cold, or so on.

Intermediate learners can start comparing the weather in Romania to other places they’re familiar with.

And advanced Romanian speakers can, if they’re curious, ask questions about certain weather events. What was it like during the big blizzard of ‘54? What trends do you expect to happen with climate change?

All of these topics sound natural in the right context.

With a little bit of practice, you’ll navigate these contexts effortlessly, and always have something to say in Romanian. In that vein, reader, how do you feel about talking about Romania weather? More comfortable, or still struggling with something? Let us know in the comments!

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The Top 100+ All-Purpose Romanian Adjectives

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Are you stuck in a Romanian loop? Do you keep learning a little then sliding back down, unable to really understand what people are saying?

Chances are, your vocabulary just isn’t quite there yet.

Vocabulary actually makes a big difference when it comes to comprehension. It may sound obvious, but the truth is that no matter how you’re learning, if you don’t know the words, you don’t know the words.

In this article, just for you, we’ve got one-hundred fantastic Romanian adjectives that you can use to spice up your Romanian. And these are the real deal, complete with real-life example sentences.

One quick read-through of our top Romanian adjectives list and your Romanian will never be the same. Let’s go!

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Table of Contents

  1. A Very Fast Overview of Romanian Adjectives
  2. List of Adjectives in Romanian: Top 100+ Romanian Adjectives
  3. Conclusion

1. A Very Fast Overview of Romanian Adjectives

Improve Pronunciation

In principle, Romanian adjectives have challenging aspects and easier aspects.

On the one hand, almost all of them do change for gender and number. That means in order to speak grammatically, the adjective form has to “match” with the verb form.

In Romanian grammar, adjectives typically come after the noun they modify. Sometimes you’ll see them in front of the noun, and that means that they’re being emphasized.

Aside from those two Romanian adjectives rules, you don’t have to worry about the crazy case changes that you’d deal with in Slavic languages, and a lot of the most popular Romanian adjectives are already very easy to understand for English speakers!

2. List of Adjectives in Romanian: Top 100+ Romanian Adjectives

Most Common Adjectives

Here’s our top Romanian adjectives list; prepare to expand your knowledge of descriptive words in Romanian and speak like a creative native!

1- Describing Colors

To ease you in here, some Romanian color words don’t change for gender or number. Besides, colors are easy stuff. It’s just like kindergarten again!

1. gri – gray

Mi-am luat paltonul gri.
I took my gray overcoat.

2. bleu – light blue

El purta o cravată bleu, foarte draguță.
He was wearing a very nice blue tie.

3. maro – brown; maroon

Este într-o geantă maro, de piele.
It’s in a brown leather bag.

4. lila – light purple; lilac

Rochiile domnișoarelor de onoare sunt lila.
The bridesmaids’ dresses are light purple.

5. vernil – light green; vermilion

De asemenea, aveau și varianta pe vernil.
They also have it in light green.

However, the following adjectives do change.

6. roșu – red

Apasă butonul roșu.
Press the red button.

7. albastru – blue

Nimic altceva decât o mare calmă și un orizont albastru.
Nothing but calm seas and blue horizons.

8. verde – green

Ea vrea doar legume verzi și supă.
She only wants green vegetables and broth.

9. portocaliu – orange

El are tenul portocaliu.
He has an orange tan.

10. violet – purple

Ești îmbrăcată în violet.
You’re wearing purple.

11. alb –­ white

Vin alb, te rog.
White wine, please.

12. negru – black

Am nevoie de o rochie neagră de seară.
I need a black evening dress.

2- Describing Taste

Bowl of Beef Soup

Anybody who doesn’t know about Romanian cuisine is missing out big time. It’s hearty, healthy, and more importantly, runs a whole gamut of flavors—and these are the words you need to describe them.

13. iute – spicy (often used for non-Western food)

Wasabi e cam iute.
Wasabi is pretty spicy.

14. picant – spicy

Acest sos picant este cel mai bine vândut.
This spicy sauce is a bestseller.

15. sărat – salty

Aerul sărat de ocean e foarte coroziv.
The salty ocean air is very corrosive.

16. dulce – sweet

De asemenea și ștrudelul este dulce.
Also, strudel is sweet too.

17. amar – bitter

Laptele de aici e prea amar.
The milk here is too bitter.

18. proaspăt – fresh

Îmi place aerul proaspăt când dorm.
I like fresh air when I sleep.

19. acru– sour

Vreau orez dulce-acrișor.
I want the sweet-and-sour rice.

3- Describing Personality or Traits

Romania isn’t that big of a country, but you’ll find all kinds of people there. Particularly because of its history, the demographics can sometimes be diverse, especially when you contrast the countryside with the city.

20. inteligent – smart; intelligent

Ai procedat inteligent că nu ai zis nimic.
You were smart to keep quiet.

21. tânăr – young

Ești foarte tânăr ca să fii căpitan.
You’re very young to be a captain.

Check this out, though: In Romanian, we don’t say “younger sibling.” We actually say “smaller sibling!”

Mary este sora mai mică a lui Tom.
Mary is Tom’s younger sister.

Eu sunt fratele tău mai mare.
I’m your older brother.

Like any language, Romanian has set phrasal adjectives as well. Several of the most common ones are about people.

22. cu nasul pe sus – full of oneself; stuck-up

Ești prea cu nasul pe sus.
You’re getting a little full of yourself.

23. de încredere – trustworthy

El e omul cel mai de încredere din lume.
He is the most reliable (trustworthy) man in the world.

24. cu capul pe umeri – level-headed

Sunt un tip cu capul pe umeri.
I’m a very level-headed guy.

25. vioi – lively; nimble; brisk; alert

El este foarte vioi după somnul de după-amiază.
He’s very alert after his afternoon nap.

26. amabil – kind

N-am fost prea amabil cu tine.
I haven’t been very kind to you.

27. liniștit – quiet

Eu sunt doar aparent liniștit.
I’m only quiet on the outside.

28. zgomotos – noisy

Sper că gongul meu nu a fost prea zgomotos pentru tine.
I hope my gong wasn’t too loud for you.

29. punctual – punctual

Încearcă să fii mai punctual dimineața.
Try to be more punctual in the morning.

30. harnic – hardworking

Tatăl meu nu era prea harnic.
My father wasn’t very hardworking.

31. dinamic – dynamic; flexible

El e un jucător dinamic și puternic.
He’s a dynamic and powerful player.

32. tăcut – quiet

El a fost tăcut toată ziua.
He was quiet all day long.

4- Describing Appearance (People)

Old Ladies at the Pool

People think differently, and people look different. These are some of the hardest words to circumlocute, since they’re specific concepts that we don’t often say in other ways. Study up!

33. bătrân – old

Sunt prea bătrân pentru treaba asta.
I’m getting too old for this stuff.

We can only use bătrân to refer to old people. Check out the next section for how to describe old things.

34. frumoasă – beautiful

Ești o femeie inteligentă și frumoasă.
You’re a smart and beautiful woman.

35. puternic – strong

Cred că este genul tăcut și puternic.
I think he’s the strong silent type.

36. slab – weak; scrawny

Era slab și avea o mustață mică, blondă.
He was skinny and had a little blonde mustache.

37. urât – ugly

Ai crezut că sunt urât?
Did you think I was ugly?

38. înalt – tall

Tipul înalt este inginer.
The tall guy is an engineer.

39. scurt – short

Ei îi stătea foarte bine cu părul scurt.
She looked great with short hair.

40. străin – foreign

Nu poți să conduci cu un permis de conducere străin.
You can’t drive with a foreign driving license.

5- Describing Appearance (Things)

As mentioned before, you can’t use the same adjectives for people as you do for things. Sometimes, it sounds endearingly mistaken, but other times it sounds insulting!

41. nou – new

Este un pepene galben nou în frigider.
There’s a new melon in the fridge.

42. vechi – old

Nu-ți pierde timpul cu povești vechi.
Don’t waste your time on ancient history.

43. mare – big; great

Prietenul tău e în mare pericol.
Your friend is in great danger.

44. mic – small

Am un mic anunț pentru toată lumea.
I have a little announcement for everyone.

45. îngust – narrow

Patul e îngust, dar nu este nicio problemă.
The bed is narrow, but it’s alright.

46. lung – long

Ai bătut drum lung pentru nimic.
You came a long way for nothing.

47. jos – low

Aici, plafonul este prea jos.
The ceiling here is too low.

48. înalt – high

Purta pantofi roșii cu toc înalt.
She was wearing red high heel shoes.

49. subţire – thin

E o carte destul de subțire.
That’s a pretty thin book.

50. gros – thick

Mașina a fost acoperită de un strat gros de zăpadă.
The car was covered with a thick layer of snow.

51. adânc – deep

Am crezut că e adânc aici.
I thought it was deep here.

52. luminos – bright

Este la fel de luminos ca soarele.
It’s as bright as the sun.

53. întunecos – dim; dark

E un loc singuratic și întunecos.
It’s a dark and lonely place.

54. draguță – nice; lovely

Trebuie să fii drăguță tot timpul.
You have to be nice all the time.

6- Describing Feelings

Man Embarrassed on Toilet

Do you know enough about feelings in Romanian to be accurate when someone asks you how you are?

55. rușinat – ashamed; embarrassed

El este incredibil de rușinat din cauza acelui lucru.
He’s incredibly ashamed about that thing.

56. fericit – happy

Sunt fericit pentru tine.
I’m happy for you.

57. trist – sad

M-am enervat pentru că eram trist.
I got angry because I was sad.

58. dezamăgit – disappointed

Nu vei fi dezamăgit.
You won’t be disappointed.

59. flămând – hungry

El s-a rătăcit și e obosit și flămând.
He’s lost, tired, and hungry.

60. sete – thirsty

Cred că îți este atât de sete.
You must be so thirsty.

61. speriat – scared

M-am speriat foarte tare când te-am văzut.
I was really scared when I saw you.

62. confuz – confused

Dintr-o dată sunt foarte confuz.
Suddenly I’m very confused.

63. supărat – angry

Eu nu sunt supărat pe nimeni.
I’m not angry with anyone.

64. obosit – sleepy; tired

De ce sunt atât de obosit?
Why am I so sleepy?

7- Describing Weather

This section is just a teaser. To learn much more about describing the weather in Romanian, head over to our separate vocabulary resource page!

65. cald – hot

Pun pariu că o să fie foarte cald.
I bet it’s going to be hot.

66. frig – cold

Este frig și toate ferestrele sunt deschise.
It’s cold and all the windows are open.

67. ploios – rainy

Era prima zi a sezonului ploios.
It was the first day of the rainy season.

68. noros – cloudy

Vremea va fi noroasă, fără precipitații.
The weather will be cloudy, without precipitation.

69. însorit – sunny

În Praga e însorit și sunt 28 de grade.
It’s sunny and 28 degrees in Prague.

70. cețos – foggy; misty

Muntele e mereu cețos.
The mountain is always misty.

8- Describing Touch and Other Qualities

It’s tough to categorize these words. They mostly refer to things, but here they’re about an object’s general attributes, whether permanent or temporary.

71. scump – expensive

E prea scump pentru tine.
It’s too expensive for you.

72. ieftin – cheap

Este mai ieftin decât s-a așteptat.
It is cheaper than he was expecting.

73. umed – wet

E un pic umed iarna.
It’s a little damp (wet) in winter.

74. uscat – dry

Aerul devine uscat din cauza căldurii.
The air gets dry because of the heater.

75. drept – straight

Am mers în linie dreaptă în tot acest timp.
We’ve been walking straight this whole time.

76. pătrat – square

Ataşaţi conectorul mic și pătrat, la imprimantă.
Attach the small square connector to the printer.

77. rotund – circular

Pământul nu e plat, ci rotund.
The earth isn’t flat, it’s round.

78. stricat – broken

Am crezut că televizorul era stricat.
I thought the TV was broken.

79. gol – empty

Biroul era descuiat și gol.
The office was open and empty.

80. plin – full

Frigiderul e deja plin.
The fridge is already full.

9- Describing Quantities

Several Pieces of Candy in Someone’s Hands

And now just a few words to talk about quantities. Really, knowing these words can go a very long way toward making your speech sound perfectly natural.

81. câteva – a few

Am timp doar pentru câteva întrebări.
I have time for just a few questions.

82. unele – some

Am făcut unele modificări.
I’ve made some changes.

83. multe – many

Acolo sunt multe drumuri și multe mlaștini.
There are lots of roads and lots of swamps there.

84. întreg – whole

Mi-a luat un an întreg să învăț cuvintele.
I spent a whole year learning the words.

10- Describing Time

We’re going to sidestep around all the adverbs here (keep an eye out for a future article) and deal solely with the adjectives related to time. Again, just a small number of words can really help here. Practically every conversation has something to do with time!

85. târziu – later

Nu se va întoarce decât după-amiază, târziu.
He won’t be back until later this afternoon.

86. lent – slow

Te rog, vorbește lent.
Please, speak slowly.

87. rapid – fast

M-am maturizat prea rapid.
I grew up too fast.

88. la timp – on time

Plătești mereu chiria la timp.
You always pay your rent on time.

89. întârziat – delayed

Zborul nostru a fost întârziat.
Our flight has been delayed.

11- Describing Concepts

Woman Thinking with Many Books

Rounding out our list here, we have ten more adjectives to describe concepts in the world around us. Don’t try explaining anything in Romanian without knowing these!

90. bun – good

O spun într-un sens bun.
I mean in a good sense.

91. pe cinste – great

Cred că vei fi o mamă pe cinste.
I think you’re going to be a great mom.

92. rău – bad

Alcoolul are un efect rău asupra mea.
Alcohol has a bad effect on me.

93. important – important

Este important să celebrezi cultura strămoșilor tăi.
It’s important that you celebrate the culture of your ancestors.

94. faimoasă – famous

E faimos pentru băuturile lui fine.
It’s famous for its fine liquor.

95. diferit – different

E ceva diferit la camera asta.
There’s something different about this room.

96. dificil – difficult

Va fi mai dificil decât credeai.
It’s going to be more difficult than you thought.

97. uşor – easy

Este ușor să treacă frontiera.
It’s easy to cross the border.

98. identic – identical

El poartă o cămașă identică.
He is wearing an identical shirt.

99. greşit – wrong

M-am săturat să fac toate lucrurile greșit.
I’m tired of doing everything wrong.

100. interesat – interesting

Am primit un telefon interesant.
I got an interesting phone call.

3. Conclusion

Reading

So yeah, vocabulary is important. But memorizing huge word lists by themselves isn’t the best choice.

The best way is to read lots of examples for the words you learn, and pay attention to how they’re really used in real Romanian.

You might have heard that you can get really far on only a few-hundred words—but the crucial thing is that you know them really well. If you can recognize all of them, but can’t use them in a speaking situation, it’ll be really frustrating!

It also helps a lot if you learn words in one format first, like an article, and then encounter them again naturally in another context, like a podcast. So study this list and the other resources at RomanianPod101.com, and wait for fluency to be yours!

Before you go, let us know in the comments what new popular Romanian adjectives you learned today from our list of the best Romanian adjectives! Are there any Romanian adjectives you still want to know? We look forward to hearing from you!

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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.

Celebrating International Women’s Day in Romania

Celebrating International Women’s Day in Romania

International Women’s Day in Romania is a special day to appreciate women, shower them with gifts, and let them know how much you love and respect them. It’s also a day to celebrate the gains women have made over the years and to continue pursuing equality and women’s rights.

In this article, you’ll learn all about how Romanians celebrate Women’s Day. Let’s get started!

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1. What is International Women’s Day?

In Romania, International Women’s Day is a day set aside to honor and respect women. In addition, this holiday is meant to encourage more rights and equality for women, and to a sărbători, or “celebrate,” the gains women have already experienced.

International Women’s Day history in Romania began in 1945, though this holiday reached Europe in 1911, and the United States even earlier in 1909. At some point, the Romanian Women’s Day was overtaken by the Socialist Republic of Romania under the rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, and Mother’s Day took its place. But the sacrifices of many women (and men) have given women the right and ability to once again celebrate Women’s Day!

2. When is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day is on March 8

Each year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8.

3. Women’s Day Traditions & Celebrations

A Large Outdoor Get-Together Party for Women’s Day

For a popular International Women’s Day celebration, Romanians give lavish gifts to the important women in their lives. For example, husbands will give their wife (soție) sweets or flowers, and children will give their mother (mamă) cards. In fact, stores and shops all over Romania have massive sales just for Women’s Day.

Women can expect to receive a multitude of gifts and compliments from their family or significant other. Sometimes, a boyfriend or husband may also take their significant other out for dinner or another fun activity.

The most important thing is for women to enjoy themselves on this day!

4. Petrecere (Party)

A fascinating aspect of Women’s Day in Romania is the fact that many women actually enjoy spending the day alone or with their fellow ladies.

During the daytime, many women bide their time shopping or getting pampered at a salon.
Once evening hits, women are typically encouraged to dress nicely, and go out to enjoy themselves for a special kind of all-ladies petrecere, or “party.” Bars and restaurants often have great discounts or special Women’s Day events going on, and women enjoy spending time with their girls!

If you want to read more about this unique Women’s Day tradition, you can head over to Argophilia.com.

5. Essential Vocab for International Women’s Day in Romania

Child Giving Flowers to Their Mother

Ready to review some of the vocabulary words from this article? Here’s a list of the most important words and phrases for International Women’s Day:

  • Fiică — “Daughter”
  • Floare — “Flower”
  • Muncitor — “Hard-working”
  • A sărbători — “Celebrate”
  • Petrecere — “Party”
  • Prietenă — “Girlfriend”
  • Mamă — “Mother”
  • Bunică — “Grandmother”
  • Soție — “Wife”
  • Cadou — “Gift”
  • Dulciuri — “Sweets”
  • A dărui — “Give”

To hear the pronunciation of each word, and to read them alongside relevant images, check out our Romanian International Women’s Day vocabulary list!

Final Thoughts

Mother and Daughter Laughing Together

We hope you enjoyed learning about International Women’s Day in Romania with us! Do you celebrate Women’s Day in your country, or honor women another way? We look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

If you’re fascinated with Romanian culture and can’t get enough, check out the following pages on RomanianPod101.com:

Whatever your reasons for developing an interest in the Romanian culture or language, know that RomanianPod101.com is the best way to expand your knowledge and improve your skills. With tons of fun and immersive lessons for learners at every level, there’s something for everyone!

Create your free lifetime account today, and start learning with us.

Ziua internațională fericită a femeii! (“Happy Women’s Day!” in Romanian) from the RomanianPod101 family.

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Mastering Romanian with the Help of Netflix Romania

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Some people doubted that Netflix would ever come to Romania. Not a lot of people in the “international media” market think of that European country too much, sadly.

But Netflix made a calculated decision when it finally created Netflix Romania.

First, Romanians have some of the fastest and cheapest internet in the world. They’ve been streaming high-definition videos for years.

Second, they love to watch TV and movies from all over the world. It’s not uncommon to find young Romanians speaking perfect English that they learned from the Cartoon Network and, more recently, the Disney Channel. All in all, the decision to make the program Netflix Romania seems like a smart decision.

Romania, though, isn’t an English-speaking country yet. And you can use Netflix as it exists in Romania right now to help you take major steps toward using Romanian just as well as locals do, both with Netflix Romania subtitles and without. After reading more about some of the best shows on Netflix, we think you’ll be interested in downloading the Romanian Netflix app to improve your language skills!

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Table of Contents

  1. Why You Need to Watch Kids’ Romanian Shows on Netflix
  2. Ten Wonderful Things on Netflix and What They Can Do for Your Romanian
  3. American Films in Romanian – Just for You
  4. Conclusion

1. Why You Need to Watch Kids’ Romanian Shows on Netflix

Best Ways to Learn

When you’re a worldwide company with as many things to take care of as Netflix, you end up with a lot of responsibility to everyone. You’ve got to balance the demands of the consumers with what the media companies are actually willing to offer you – and those don’t always line up.

So we’re gonna come right out and say it. Right now, there are no original Netflix Romanian shows; there’s nothing on Netflix originally produced in Romania for Romanians.

If that’s the case, why do a Romanian Netflix download at all?

Because it’s better than you can imagine.

It’s not always easy to get immersed in the media of another culture. Different people have different tastes when it comes to movies and shows.

If you watch a show dubbed in Romanian, you get a couple of perks. First, the sound is often clearer, since the dubs were recorded under controlled studio conditions instead of on set. Second, the narrative structure itself might be a little more clear to you—with cultural references coming from your own background, instead of somebody else’s.

Truth be told, when I began to write about these Romanian Netflix shows, I expected to have to paint them in an unnaturally good light. But the truth is, there really is a lot of great stuff for younger audiences dubbed in Romanian, and I found myself actually getting into the story of Llama Llama by the end!

That said, let’s take a look at some of the best Romanian Netflix shows, as well as the older stuff. Read through our list to find the perfect Romanian series on Netflix for you, and begin to learn Romanian on Netflix!

2. Ten Wonderful Things on Netflix and What They Can Do for Your Romanian

Improve Pronunciation

1- Carmen Sandiego

Immediately attention-grabbing as one of the most beautifully drawn animations on this list of Romanian shows on Netflix, Carmen Sandiego is as close as you can get to a kids’ crime thriller.

The titular master thief Carmen is a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing only from the evil villains’ association V.I.L.E. The show is whip-smart, with enough nifty spy gadgets to make anybody want to start sneaking around museums at night.

One interesting thing is that a main supporting character speaks Romanian with a heavy French accent, providing a unique listening challenge.

And there are awfully few young adult shows dealing with crime and police investigations—so if you want vocabulary that prepares you for native Romanian cop shows, this is a perfect stepping stone for you.

Interested? Give this Romanian Netflix series a try!

2- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Unless you’ve been totally oblivious to media trends in the last few years, you’ve heard about this show (which we’ll abbreviate, as the fans do, to MLP:FiM here). It’s about a kingdom of magical ponies, their friendships, and their struggles.

As a firmly fantasy-based genre, MLP:FiM will expose you to exactly the right amount of “fantasy” and “medieval” words. You never realize how much people still talk about queens, castles, and magic these days until you find yourself in a conversation where those are the only things you don’t know how to say. Add some flair to your Romanian conversations with this Netflix Romanian-dubbed show.

3- Young Justice

The DC superhero universe has always had a huge number of heroes that seem to get about the same level of screen time—less than the A-listers, but still enough to get comic books and shows. That’s exactly what’s going on in Young Justice, one of the most-loved Romanian TV shows on Netflix that originally came out in 2010. These younger sidekick-type folks do their best to establish themselves as real heroes, while at the same time balancing their crime-fighting and secret-identity lives.

Superheroes love to quip at one another, especially when they’re all teaming up for the same goal. The fast-paced wordplay here is a great way to hone your Romanian listening speed, especially because the voice actors speak fast in order to match up with the animation. Watch this Romanian Netflix series without subtitles and see how much you pick up!

4- Alexa & Katie

Netflix does a lot of unconventional TV shows, particularly when it comes to shows revolving around younger people. So that’s why in early 2018, their next big “groundbreaking” show followed a format that caused some people to double-take.

Alexa & Katie is a classic high school sitcom aimed at kids who haven’t quite made it to high school yet themselves. The overarching plot is that Alexa has cancer—but it’s not a sad show by any means. She and her best friend Katie are relentlessly optimistic and goofy about life in general. A high school sitcom is the perfect thing for understanding how Romanian teenagers talk. It must be said, though, that this Romanian Netflix series is squeaky-clean and won’t teach you any of the words that they don’t say around their parents.

5- Free Rein (Frâu liber)

Wouldn’t you know it, the pun in the title translates well into Romanian too!

This Netflix Romania 2017 show features a heartwarming story of a young American girl who visits England and becomes enamored with a local horse barn and riding school. While there, she learns to ride well, to get over her disagreements with other girls her age, and even to conquer her feelings for a boy at the school.

Most people really like this show for its positive moral messages, diverse cast, and strong female leads. If you’re seriously into horse riding yourself, you may have a couple of quibbles about the way the sport is depicted, but overall you’ll still definitely enjoy this Netflix Romanian-dubbed show.

As for the vocabulary, well, equestrianism isn’t something most people talk about every day. Just by watching a couple episodes of this, though, you’ll pick up enough to be able to hold your own in a conversation with any Romanian horse enthusiast.

Horse-lovers, make your way to the Romanian Netflix sign in now and start bingeing!

6- LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

Are you looking for action? Go no further than LEGO Ninjago, where you can awaken your inner eight-year-old and enter a world of ninjas, snakes, and ancient butt-kicking martial arts.

You might shy away at first from a show based on toys, but the characters and the surprisingly heavy plotlines are guaranteed to hold your interest. And with six seasons of material to work with, you won’t run out of action for a long time.

Language-wise, this series contains a little less dialogue and a little more action than others. But even so, you’ll get exposed to words and phrases related to fighting, winning, and knowing when to pick your battles.

7- The Dragon Prince (Prințul Dragon)

Similar to My Little Pony, The Dragon Prince also takes place in a magical fantasy world. However, that’s where the similarities end. One of the showrunners, Aaron Ehasz, also worked on the critically acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender, so that should give you a bit of a feeling about what to expect from this Romanian TV Netflix series.

It takes place in a world of strange creatures, epic lore backstories, and continents waging war via the elements. A band of two princes and an assassin join forces to bring peace to the world—but is that possible, or even desirable? Nothing is black and white.

Since it’s a show for more mature audiences (think ages 11+ as opposed to 8+), you’ll get a different level of “high-fantasy” vocabulary from The Dragon Prince.

8- Prince of Peoria (Prințul Peoriei)

You won’t be able to watch both Alexa & Katie and Prince of Peoria without drawing comparisons. Both are about ordinary American high school life, and one is dominated by female friendships while the other is dominated by male friendships.

The unique twist with Prince of Peoria, though, is that a rich foreign prince from a fictional land can’t wait to experience real American teenage life in Peoria, Illinois.

You might think that two high school sitcoms would be too many—but really, watching both of them means you actually have to study less.

Both have totally different characters, but similar situations. That means the “ordinary American high school” vocabulary in Romanian will end up repeating itself naturally, soaking into your mind without you having to do anything but watch. For easy Romanian language practice, head to the Romanian Netflix sign in and start watching!

9- The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (Marile Aventuri ale Căpitanului Chilot)

Whether you loved the book series in the early 2000s or got started with the movie a few years ago, fans of the Captain Underpants franchise will find that this TV series adaptation fits perfectly into the universe.

For those who aren’t familiar, it’s an irreverent slapstick comedy about two boys who use a hypnosis ring to turn their principal into a superhero known as Captain Underpants, named for his outfit consisting entirely of tighty-whities and a red cape.

The short runtime of each episode means that the jokes never get stale, and the animation team does a fantastic job showing just how creative kids can be with their own imaginations. And as you might have guessed, there’s a lot of toilet humor. Ever wanted to learn how to talk about farts in Romanian? Now’s your chance.

10- Llama Llama (Lama Lama)

Maybe the high-fantasy adventures or fast-talking quips from the other series on this list aren’t quite doing it for you. Or perhaps you’d like to ease yourself into the Romanian language with something simple, structured, and yet still entertaining. Enter Llama Llama.

Every episode has an important lesson for the young Llama Llama (first name Llama, last name Llama) as well as his friends. But it’s not preachy at all.

It’s a simple show with good characters and honest discussions about how to be a better person—or animal—by respecting others and taking care of yourself. The lessons are given in straightforward language, while at the same time being natural enough to keep even intermediate learners on their toes linguistically.

3. American Films in Romanian – Just for You

Movie Genres

One quick note to give you yet another reason to check out Romanian Netflix: The movie catalog.

So far we’ve talked exclusively about TV shows, which is all fine and dandy.

But this very moment, Netflix has classic Dreamworks films with Romanian audio tracks available in many different regions. Puss in Boots, How to Train your Dragon, Megamind, Kung Fu Panda, and more—they’re all there. And if you grew up watching these movies, watching them again with Romanian dubbing is a fantastic way to associate long-term meaning with the new Romanian words.

Woman Enjoying Favorite Movie

By the way, you may ask yourself, “What about using Netflix Romania subtitles?” Well, they can be useful, but on the whole it’s a lot better to just use dubbing. Sometimes the Netflix Romania subtitles are poorly translated, and they usually omit a lot of the nuance of the actual dialogue in order to fit on the screen.

The one good way to study with subtitles is to simply turn off the sound and see how well you can follow. That way, you really get your reading speed into gear and probably end up picking up new words and phrases along the way.

Netflix Audio Descriptions: A Secret Sauce for the Future

Well, it’s not that secret. There’s a button right down at the bottom of the screen. An audio description is just another audio track where there’s a narrator talking about what’s happening on-screen.

Why would you want that when watching Romanian movies on Netflix? First off, if you’re vision-impaired in some way, it’s a great way to follow more of the action.

But even if you’re not, the extra audio is amazing for learning (as long as the audio is in Romanian). You get to hear a native speaker describe what’s going on, from the smallest details to the biggest plot twists. That’s amazing for getting a native-like sense of how to talk about different events as they happen.

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, there are no such audio tracks in Romanian on Netflix—just ordinary dialogue tracks.

And yet there’s an option to search for them. That indicates that Netflix’s Romanian branch is interested in offering them in the future (remember that Netflix in Romania only launched in mid-2017). When they do, hopefully you’ll be the first to use them to turbocharge your Romanian listening.

4. Conclusion

You can get a lot of mileage out of studying Romanian with Romanian Netflix series, especially considering the relatively low Romanian Netflix price. But it can’t be a magic bullet.

Ideally, you’d have a mix of solid study time and “chill-out” time while watching movies and TV both on and off Netflix.

Because seeing words and sentence structures in a natural context that you studied already is a great way to really remember them for the future. Haven’t you ever learned the name of some actor and then suddenly heard about him everywhere? Not easy to forget after that.

As long as you keep up your Romanian studies, that feeling never has to go away.

So, reader, which of these Netflix Romania shows do you want to start watching first, and why? What about Romanian movies on Netflix? Let us know in the comments!

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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.