Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian

  • Basic discourse markers

    Basic discourse markers

    Basic discourse markers in Romanian will have to be correctly used if you want to express more complex language functions in this language, such as agreeing and disagreeing.



    Here are several useful words and phrases:


    In ceea ce ma priveste=as far as I’m concerned


    A merita=deserve


    In afara de asta=besides


    Scump=expensive


    Uniunea Scriitorilor= Writers’ Union


    Premiu=award


    Sint perfect/intru totul de accord cu tine=I perfectly agree with you/I couldn’t agree with you more



    Now let us use some of the words and phrases in meaningful, communicative patterns:


    In ceea ce ma priveste, nu cred ca volumul merita premiul Uniunii Scriitorilor pe anul 2015.


    As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think the book deserved the Writers’ Union Award in 2015.



    Nu cred ca o calatorie cu autocarul pina la Istanbul este foarte usoara. In afara de asta, biletele de autocar s-au scumpit in ultimele luni.


    I don’t think that a trip by coach to Istanbul is very easy. Besides, coach tickets have become expensive in the last couple of months.



    Mi-ai spus saptamina trecuta ca viata in Romania este foarte scumpa. Sint perfect de acord cu tine.


    Last week you told me life in Romania is very expensive. I perfectly agree with you/ I couldn’t agree with you more.



    Pe de alta parte, a te muta intr-o tara straina nu este atit de simplu.


    On the other hand, relocating to a foreign country is not so simple.



    Thank you ALL for the interest you take in Romanian culture, and for being so keen on learning Romanian with us. Good Bye! La revedere!

  • International Support for Bodnariu Family

    International Support for Bodnariu Family

    Late last week, thousands of Romanians took to the streets, both in the country and abroad, to voice their solidarity with a mixed Romanian-Norwegian family whose children were taken two months ago by the Norwegian social services and placed in foster care. An international adoption procedure has also been started for the five children of Ruth and Marius Bodnariu, a nurse and an IT engineer respectively. Aged between four months and nine years, the children were taken from their parents after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the couple subjected their children to physical punishments. Moreover, as members of the Pentecostal faith, the Bodnarius are suspected of what Norway defines as religious indoctrination of children.



    For Romanians, a mostly Orthodox nation with strong religious sensibilities and a firm commitment to traditional values, which include minor physical punishments as part of the common education methods, such accusations are absurd. And the idea of a new-born being taken from his mother and from a functional family to be placed in an institution, together with his siblings, is completely unacceptable. The participants in the support rallies held in Bucharest, Cluj, Timisoara and Constanta described the Norwegian legislation in this respect as ridiculous, outrageous, or even Nazi-like.



    Soundbite: “This is unacceptable. No other state has legislation of this kind. The children belong in their families, they dont belong to the state.



    Outside Romanian borders, in Rome, Madrid, Brussels or The Hague, thousands of people demanded the involvement of the Government and Presidency in the Bodnariu case. Here is the president of the Federation of Romanian Associations in Spain, Daniel Tecu:



    Daniel Tecu: “I have a direct message for the President: we are the ones who get presidents elected, and we are also the ones who bring them down if they fail to protect our interests. And I also have a message for all politicians in Romania: the diaspora has awoken.



    This is an emotional response, and one that has no grounds, because the Romanian authorities have already reacted to the case. The Foreign Ministry and the Ambassador of Norway to Bucharest, Tove Bruvik Westberg, have agreed to work together to resolve the issue. Also at the initiative of the Romanian diplomacy, the Child Welfare Authority sent a proposal to the corresponding body in Norway regarding the integration of the five children in their uncles family in Romania, and an answer is expected within days. A delegation of Parliaments Committee on Romanian communities abroad will travel to Norway next week. In turn, the Bodnariu family challenged in court the measures taken by the Norwegian authorities.


    (translation by: Ana Maria Popescu)

  • 7 March, 2015

    7 March, 2015

    Today’s edition is about tools and fixing things around the home.


    Lets begin with some new words and notions:


    – tools = unelte


    – workshop = atelier


    – work bench = banc de lucru


    – to fix = a repara


    – hammer = ciocan


    – screw = surub


    – nail = cui


    – wood = lemn


    – pliers = patent


    – wire = sirma



    Now, let’s use these words in sentences.



    I got new tools.


    Mi-am luat unelte noi.


    I have a workshop in the attic.


    Am atelier in pod.


    I have a new job on my work bench.


    Am o lucrare noua pe bancul de lucru.


    I fix things around the house myself.


    Repar lucuri in casa de unul singur.


    Hand me that hammer, please.


    Da-mi ciocanul acela, te rog.


    I cannot find the right screw.


    Nu gasesc surubul potrivit.


    Take out that nail.


    Scoate cuiul acela.


    I prefer to work with wood, not plastic.


    Prefer sa lucrez cu lemn, nu cu plastic.


    For this job I need the pliers.


    Pentru lucrarea asta imi trebuie patentul.


    You need the copper wire.


    Iti trebuie sirma de cupru.


  • Transylvanian Smoked Meat Soup

    Transylvanian Smoked Meat Soup

    This week’s recipe is the Transylvanian soup with smoked meat, which has two versions, one with potatoes, one with cabbage. Its little secret is that of blanching the meat before using it in the soup, because, no matter what kind of smoked preparation we use, boiling it takes away part of its salt.



    For this recipe, take half a kg of smoked ribs, a few potatoes, two onions, two carrots, one piece of celery root, a parsnip, tarragon, vinegar, egg, and sour cream. Shred the smoked rib, and set it to boil, skimming the pot periodically. Add the potatoes, cubed, then the chopped onion, carrot, parsnip and celeriac. At the end put in tomato juice, the finely chopped tarragon, then, at the end, mix separately egg yolk with sour cream to finish the soup.



    If, however, you opt for the sauerkraut solution, then finely shred it and wash it to make it less salty. Use the sauerkraut liquid as a souring agent. You can use less vegetables, but the minimum is two chopped onions and a few garlic cloves. Separately, brown two tablespoons of flour, then add some water, and after it comes to a boil, pour it into the soup pot. Towards the end add the chopped garlic and either use the egg yolk-sour cream mixture or some buttermilk. Enjoy!