Romania is such an amazing country! it is a country from southeastern Europe (so close to Italian and French!) known for its breathtaking landscapes, Latin origins, and the most beautiful people. And, of course, the most melodic and unique language award goes to Romanian! This language has so much history, every word itself carries years and years of battles, winnings, and losses. Learning Romanian is a great chance for you to find some interesting traditions and cultural facts, meet new people, and even get a new job.
If you choose to study a new language, there are some baby steps that you have to achieve. Learning the very basic words and expressions is an important step in this learning process. In this article, we will tell you everything about how to learn the Romanian language basics, and also about the challenges that may appear in this studying journey.
How hard is it to learn the Romanian language?
It’s a big goal to study a new language. It takes time, ambition, motivation, and a bit of curiosity. For those who are familiar with the Romance languages like Spanish, Italian, French, or even Latin, Romanian will be easy to learn. Even if you are not knowing these languages, Romanian and English have some grammatical features in common, so they will look acquainted to you.
We can say that the vocabulary is pretty simple if you understand some of the pronunciation rules. Also, you need to know that Romanian words are written as they are heard. Another difficult chapter can be the verbs and their seventeen tenses and moods. Also, the verbs are conjugated according to the rest of the sentence. Don’t worry, they don’t use all of those verbal moods and tenses in day-to-day conversations, but in some regions, you can hear some special forms of the verbs and that is why.
The diacritics are another challenge. These are some special letters – ă, î, ș, ț, â and they make the pronunciation and spelling fun. In fact, the country s name is called România.
When it comes to vocabulary, you need to know that it is quite similar to other Romance languages, like Italian and French. Also, the Romanian language shares a lot of common words and grammar structures with English. So, if you know one of those languages, the vocabulary part shouldn’t be that difficult for you.
And lastly, we can say that is a big challenge to learn Romanian because there are not a lot of resources for you to study. It will take you some time to do the research and find some good materials. Those resources need to be created for different levels and to be friendly written in order to learn this language. This is why we say that online Romanian courses are the best option for you, especially if you are a beginner. With native teachers, everything will be simple and that trip will be soon ready to be planned!
How long does it take to learn Romanian?
Not that much, according to the studies that FSI (United States Foreign Service Institute) took. They think that it would take about 23 weeks for you to study the Romanian language. So it’s not so much an impossible mission! We think that these are just data and we need to consider some other factors like the time you are investing in this study process, the interest that you have in the culture of this country, your history with study other languages, etc.
Also, if you want an expert opinion and a personalized study plan, Romanian online courses are the best option for you. It’s also an ideal solution if you are time pressured by some job changing, moving to Romania, or simply traveling to it. This process will speed up and your fluency will be the first that it improved. It depends on you. 😊 we can make you sure that is an enjoyable hobby and that the results are worth it!
What are the Romanian language basic phrases that you should know?
When you learn the basics of every foreign language, you need to think of the most common situations and the words you need to use. Usually, these are words that you can easily remember.
Words like Yes, No, Please, and Thank you, are a must. In Romanian, they are: Da, Nu, Te rog, Mulțumesc.
Then, you need to learn greetings, which can be very useful and a fun way to let Romanian people know that you are open to understanding more about their language. Also, it is a sign of politeness and will make a great impression on you and your origins. Believe us, Romanian grandmas are all about good manners!
Hello! – Bună!
Good morning! – Bună dimineaţa!
Good afternoon! – Bună ziua!
Good night! – Noapte bună!
How are you? – Ce faci? (sg.)/ Ce mai faceţi? (pl.)
Fine, thank you. – Bine, mulţumesc.
Goodbye! – La revedere!
There are also introductions and being able to say where you are from since these are probably the next questions in your conversation:
What is your name? – Cum vă numiţi?
My name is … – Numele meu este…
Nice to meet you – Îmi pare bine
Where are you from?- De unde ești?
I come from the United States – Vin (Sunt) din Statele Unite
If you are in Romania for the first time, I think it might be useful to know how to ask for directions and understand them. You can repeat the sentences and use them in need.
How do I get to … – Cum ajung la …
Where is the nearest Subway station? – Unde este cea mai apropiată stație de metrou?
Continue straight – Mergeți drept înainte
It is very close / It is far away – Este foarte aproape / Este departe
Turn right / left – Virați la dreapta / stânga
The second right / left – A doua strada la dreapta / stânga
Take the subway, for 2 stations, until ….- Luati metroul 2 stații pâna la stația … –
Street- Strada
Bus – Autobuz
Tram – Tramvai
You can walk there, it is just 5 minutes away, straight ahead. – Puteți merge pe jos, este la 5 minute, drept înainte.
If you are a beginner or have just now decided to take Romanian language lessons, and you are visiting Romania, do not worry. It is very easy to find somebody speaking English, to guide you. Romanians study English as their second language and they are big internet consumers.
But when you visit a new country, it is nice to live the full experience and to try to speak as well to people, in their own language, in at least a few words.
If you go shopping (which I highly recommend, because the things you buy on vacations hold the pleasant memory of the new places), it helps to be able to know the name of the products you look for, and if you stop for coffee, how about you make your order in Romanian?
So words like coffee, tea, sugar, or the names of clothes, souvenirs, or electronics, might be helpful.
And as Romanian basic phrases, asking for the bill, asking the price of a product, or requesting another size or color in your favorite blouse, can also be useful.
You will find these expressions very practical:
Bună dimineața – Good morning
Aș dori o cafea – I would like a coffee
Suc – Juice
Ceai – Tea
Apă – Water
Ce aveți la micul dejun? – What do you have for breakfast?
Prânz – Lunch
Cină – Dinner
Îmi puteți aduce și zahăr? – Can you bring some sugar too?
Sare – Salt
Aș vrea nota de plată – I would like the bill
Doresc bluza asta. – I want this blouse
Altă culoare nu aveți? – Do you have another color?
Aș dori o altă mărime. – I would like another size.
If you start Romanian online lessons or you just bought a book or conversation guide, I am sure you will find those on the first pages. Feel free to use them in the next conversation and see the reactions. Don’t worry about the accent and perfect pronunciation, just have fun with it.
Romanian is not a hard language and it is a beautiful one. as you just read in this article, you can learn the Romanian language basics pretty easily and fast. If you are serious about it, the grammar might seem a bit difficult at first, but not impossible to understand. The vocabulary and its melodious words will win your heart easily and you will fall in love with the Romanian language as we already did!
We hope you find the information helpful and that you find the courage to start learning. Right now, you can do so, even from the comfort of your home, with online Romanian classes. We are a click away from you and we have different courses, according to our student’s programs and needs. We are waiting for you and we would be glad to be by your side on this wonderful cultural journey!