Category: Romanian without Tears

When we learn a foreign language, one of the easiest ways to become proficient is to use language chunks that perfectly express a function, or encode a real-life, accessible, day-to-day context, where you simply cannot do without using the language.

However, its not al all useless to have basic knowledge ABOUT the foreign language youre trying to improve, so today youll be presented with essential facts about the Romanian language.

Here are several useful words and phrases:

Constitutie=constitution

Limba oficiala=official language

Limba romana=the Romanian language

Caderea regimului comunist=the fall of the communist regime

Limbi minoritare=minority languages

A vorbi o limba straina= speak a foreign language

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

Potrivit Constitutiei, singura limba oficiala a Romaniei este Limba romana.

According to the Constitution, the only official language of Romania is the Romanian language.

Pe linga Romana, in Romania se vorbesc alte 14 limbi.

Apart from Romanian, there are 14 other languages being spoken in Romania.

Dupa prabusirea regimului comunist in Romania in Decembrie 1989, diverselor limbi ale minoritatilor din Romania li s-au acordat drepturi suplimentare.

After the fall of the communist regime in Romania in December 1989, the various minority languages have received more rights.

Cel mai importante limbi minoritare din Romania sint maghiara, limba rromani, ucranineana, germana, rusa, la care se adauga limbile turcice.

Romanias most important minority languages are Hungarian, Rromani, Ukrainian, German, Russian and the Turkish languages.

Thats all we had time for in todays Romanian Without Tears. Thank you ALL for the interest you take in Romanian culture, and for being so keen on learning Romanian with us.

Making friends with a Romanian mature person might entail sharing some intimacy with that person. If you happen to be the parent of a child in her or his early teens, you cannot help complaining a little bit about them, in a conversation with your fellow Romanian. In this lesson, youll be exposed to the language of informal complaints in Romanian.

As usual, we start with several useful words and phrases:

Dupa-amiaza=afternoon

Petrece=spend

In fata=in front of

In casa=indoors

Virsta=age

Timp liber=spare time

A se juca=play

Verisor, verisoara=cousin

Prieten, prietena=friend

Adolescent, adolescenta=teenager

Citi=read

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

Baiatul meu de 12 ani isi petrece toate dupa-amiezele in fata computerului.

My 13-year old boy spends all his afternoons in front of the computer.

As fi vrut sa nu fi stat atit de mult in casa.

I wish he didnt spend so much time indoors.

La virsta lui, in timpul liber eu ma jucam cu verisoarele si cu prietenele mele.

When I was his age, in my spare time I used to play with my cousins and friends.

Fata mea este adolescenta. Indata ce vine de la scoala si pina noaptea tirziu, sta pe Facebook.

My daughter is a teenager. As soon as she comes home from school and until late at night, she is on Facebook.

As fi vrut sa ii placa sa citeasca.

I wish she liked reading.

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!

If there’s any language area where Romanian and English are most different from one another, that is the use of the prepositions or of the adverbs turned prepositions.

Today we continue our series focusing on linking devices in Romanian, from the simple to the more complex ones.

As usual, we start with several useful words and phrases:

de la = from

pina la= to

deasupra= over

impotriva=against

din cauza= because of

in spatele= behind

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

Am facut o calatorie cu trenul de la Bucuresti la Timisoara. A fost o calatorie obositoare.

I travelled by train from Bucuresti to Timisoara. It was an exhausting journey.

Trei mii de oameni s-au strins in Piata Universitatii din Bucuresti, pentru a scanda lozinci impotriva guvernului.

Three thousand people gathered in University Square in Bucharest, to shout slogans against the government.

Din cauza preturilor ridicate, foarte putini tineri isi pot permite o casa in Romania de astazi.

Because of the high prices, very few young people can afford a house of their own in today’s Romania.

In spatele casei tatal meu a creat o gradina foarte frumoasa.

Behind the house, my father created a very beautiful garden.

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!

For all its people, Romania’s grim communist decades had a negative washback effect as regards all official celebrations which back then were a hundred percent related to the history of the Romanian Communist Party.

Despite that, Romania boasts a string of celebrations having nothing to do with communism. One such celebration is the National Day on December 1st, so we are proud to get you acquainted with basic vocabulary related to this very special day.

Here is a bunch of words and phrases related to the Great Union Day:

Ziua Marii Uniri= the Great Union Day

Regatul Romaniei=the Kingdom of Romania

A declara=declare

Parada militara=military parade

A marsalui, a trece in mars=march

Arcul de Triumf=Triumphal Arch

La datorie=in the line of duty

Comemora=commemorate

Eveniment caritabil=charity event

And here are a few sentences including some of the words and expressions above:

Ziua Marii Uniri se sarbatoreste in Romania dupa Decembrie 1989.

The Great Union day has been celebrated in Romania after December 1989.

La aceasta data, Transilvania a fost declarata oficial parte din Regatul Romaniei din vremea ceea.

On this day, Transylvania was officially declared part of the then Kingdom of Romania.

In Capitala Romaniei, Bucuresti, Ziua Marii Uniri se sarbatoreste cu o parada militara.

In Romania’s capital city Bucharest, the Great Union Day is celebrated with a military parade.

Anul acesta, mai bine de 2 000 militari vor trece in mars pe sub Arcul de Triumf in capitala Romaniei.

This year, over 2,000 military will march under the Triumphal Arch in the capital city.

In alte parti ale tarii, sint organizate diverse evenimente.

Elsewhere across the country, various events are organized.

Sint comemorati romanii care au cazut la datorie in timpul Primului Razboi Mondial.

Commemorated are the Romanians who were killed in the line of duty during the First World War.

De citiva ani, primariile organizeaza concerte si evenimente caritabile in ziua de 1 decembrie.

In recent years, various city halls organize concerts and charity events on December 1st.

Din acest motiv, ziua de 1 Decembrie s-a transformat intr-o sarbatoare mai degraba populara.

For this reason, December 1st turned more into a popular celebration.

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!

Has it ever occurred to you that you may fall in love in Romania? That finding yourself in this country may not be for business purposes only? That you may even find time to strike up a relaxed, if not intimate, conversation with someone you want to get closer to ?

This time we bring you basic vocabulary related to dating and being nice to someone.

Here is a series of useful words and phrases:

La o cafea=over a cup of coffee.

Miine dupa-amiaza=tomorrow afternoon

Veni=come

Piesa=play

Se joaca o piesa noua la Teatrul National =there’s a new play on at the National Theatre

Vinerea viitoare=next Friday

And here are several sentences including some of the words above:

Mi-ar placea sa ne putem vedea la o cafea, miine dupa-amiaza.

I would like us to see each other over a cup of coffee tomorrow afternoon.

Se joaca o piesa noua la Teatrul National din Bucuresti. Ai vrea sa vii cu mine la premiera, vinerea viitoare de la ora 7 ?

There’s a new play on at the National Theater in Bucharest. Would you like to join me for the premiere next Friday, at 7 pm?

Rochia asta iti sta foarte bine. Este noua?

This dress perfectly fits you. Is it new?

Rosul ti se potriveste foarte bine.

Red suits you very well.

Ai o noua coafura! Te face sa arati mai tinara!

You have a new hairdo! It makes you look younger!

Tin foarte mult la tine.

I care for you a lot.

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!

If theres any language area where Romanian and English are most different from one another, that is the use of the prepositions or of the adverbs turned prepositions.

Today we begin a series focusing on linking devices in Romanian, from the simple to the more complex ones.

Here is a bunch of useful words and phrases:

In =in

Inauntru, in interior=Inside

In casa=inside the house

Afara=outside

Cu=with

Cu mine=with me

Fara=without

Fara mine=without me

Sub=under

Sub masa=under the table

Inainte=before

Inainte de rasarit=before sunrise

And here are some meaningful sentences including some of the words:

Pisica noastra s-a ascuns sub masa.

Our kitty hid under the table.

Afara, oamenii scandau lozinci anti-guvernamentale.

Outside the house, people were shouting anti-governmental slogans.

S-au descurcat de minune fara mine.

They were doing fine without me.

Au venit cu mine in excursie, si le-a placut foarte mult.

They came with me on the trip, and they enjoyed it a lot.

Bunica mea obisnuia sa se trezeasca inainte de rasarit.

My grandmother used to get up before sunrise.

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!

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Foreign visitors traveling to Bucharest for the first time have a rather negative representation of Romanians. However, in a couple of days, they are surprised to get to know people who are well-read, fluent in at least two foreign languages and ready to tackle a wide range of topics in day-to-day conversations. Music is still a conversation warmer, so here is a series of words related to music in Romanian.

Muzica=music

Asculta=listen

Cinta( la un instrument)=play (an instrument)

Sunet=sound

Instrument musical=musical instrument

Melodie=song

Cintaret=(male)singer

Cintareata=(female) singer

Formatie=band

Album = album

Chitara=guitar

Pian = piano

Vioara=violin

Gen muzical=musical genre

Muzica clasica=classical music

And here are some meaningful communicative patterns including some of the music-related words and expressions.

Muzica este o arta.

Music is an art.

Canti la vreun instrument muzical?

Do you play any musical instrument?

Ce gen de muzica asculti?

What kind of music do you listen to?

Aceasta este melodia mea preferata.

This is my favorite song.

Am primit cadou cel mai nou album al formatiei

I received the bands latest album as a present.

El canta la pian.

He plays the piano.

Muzica clasica este genul ei muzical preferat.

Classical music is her favorite musical genre.

Ei canta la chitara.

They can play the guitar.

Thats all we had time for in todays Romanian Without Tears. 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!

As a foreigner, you may not only be a visitor to Romania, you may also be professionally involved in an institution, in the capital city Bucharest or in other cities across the country. There is a lot of tension in the social and professional interaction, and more often than not you need to be assertive, if not…assertive-aggressive. So today you will learn how to demand an explanation or clarification from someone you know, or someone you work with.

Here is a series of useful words and expressions:

Doresc=want

A sti=know

De ce=why

Barbat=man

Tirziu=late

A veni, a aparea=to turn up

Dimineata=morning

A da cu imprumut=lend

And here are some meaningful, communicative patterns including some of the words and expressions. Vreau sa stiu de ce barbatii trebuie sa mearga la razboi.

I want to know why men must go to war.

Vreau sa stiu de ce soarele rasare intotdeauna in acelasi loc.

I want to know why the sun always rises in the same place.

Vreau sa stiu de ce ai venit mai tirziu la servici astazi.

I want to know why you have turned up late for work this morning.

Vreau sa stiu de ce munca se plateste putin in institutia dumneavoastra.

I want to know why work is so poorly paid in your institution.

Vreau sa stiu de ce ai uitat sa-mi inapoiezi cartea pe care ti-am imprumutat-o acum trei luni.

I want to know why you have forgotten to bring back the book I lent you three months ago.

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!

Being able to express complex function in spoken Romanian while interacting with a native may give you the opportunity to have a better social or even professional insertion in Romania, if you happen to be here for travel, study or even business purposes.

Wishes and desires have various contexts where they can be used appropriately. Expressing wishes in Romanian is the rough equivalent of the Conditional, or the If Clause in English. In Romanian, verb morphology is rather complex, and the corresponding mood is the Conditional-optativ.

Here are some relevant words and phrases:

incet=soft

treaba=job

mai devreme=earlier

la prinz=at noon

program de pregatire=training program

raport=report

vorbi=speak

termina=finish

miine=tomorrow

And here are some meaningful, communicative patterns including some of the words and phrases above:

Daca ai vorbi mai incet, am putea termina treaba mai devreme astazi.

If you spoke a bit softer, we could finish the job earlier today.

Daca mi-ai oferi toate datele, as putea termina raportul pina miine la prinz.

If you gave me all the data, I could finish the report by tomorrow at noon.

Daca am avea acces la mai multe programe de pregatire, ne-ar fi mai usor la servici.

If we had access to more training programs, it could be easier for us at work.

Daca am lucra in liniste, am putea fi mai eficienti in ceea ce facem.

If we worked more quietly, we could be more efficient in what we do.

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!

More often than not, inflection-rich Romanian can be quite tricky for non-native speakers, if they want to express complex language functions, and insert them into large, meaningful communicative patterns that are vital for the everyday spoken Romanian. Which basically means that your spoken Romanian grammar will have to be correct, if you want, let’s say, to express wishes and desires in Romanian. To that effect, modul conjunctiv the conjunctive mood in Romania, or in a wider sense, subjonctivul, the subjunctive, is a core element of Romanian morphology. This lesson gives you tips on how to use the subjunctive correctly.

Here is the paradigm of the present subjunctive of the verb a invata, to learn associated with the verb a trebui, expressing necessity. From the very beginning, we should note that the subjunctive pronouns are unnecessary in Romanian.

Trebuie sa invat. I have to learn.

Trebuie sa inveti. You have to learn.

Trebuie sa invete. She/He has to learn.

Trebuie sa invatam. We have to learn.

Trebuie sa invatati. You have to learn.

Trebuie sa invete. They have to learn.

Now let us use some of the sentences in more complex, meaningful communicative patterns:

Trebuie sa invat Germana foarte bine, daca vreau sa am o slujba mai bine platita.

I have to learn German very well, if I want to have a better-paid job.

In era Internetului, trebuie sa invatati sa folositi computerul.

In the age of the Internet, you have to learn to use a computer.

Trebuie sa invete cum sa se poarte cu bunica lor, chiar daca sint inca copii mici.

They have to learn how to behave with their granny, even if they are still little children.

Trebuie sa invatam sa spunem NU, ori de cite ori este necesar.

We have to learn to say NO, whenever it is necessary.

Trebuie sa invete ceva nou, ceea ce presupune mai mult efort din partea ei.

She must learn something new, which requires a lot of effort on her part.

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

Being able to express human characteristics in Romanian makes your conversation meaningful and more accurate. Here is some basic vocabulary related to human characteristics.

As usual, we begin with a series of useful words and phrases:

Amuzant =amusing

Atent =careful

Batrin = old

Deprimat =depressed

Dezamagit = disappointed

Haios = funny

Lenes = lazy

Neplacut = nasty

Nervos = nervous

Neplacut = nasty

Rabdator = patient

Trist = sad

Now let us use some of the words in meaningful sentences:

Palaria de paie a lui Mihai este foarte amuzanta.

Mihai’s straw hat is very amusing.

Adela nu a luat examenul de Matematici speciale, si din aceasta cauza este foarte deprimata.

Adina failed in the special Mathematics exam, so she is very depressed.

Cu camasa lui galbena si cu sandalele roz, George este intr-adevar foarte haios.

With his yellow shirt and pink sandals, George is indeed very funny.

Mihaela si Daniel s-au despartit recent, iar Daniel este foarte trist din aceasta cauza.

Mihaela and Daniel have broken up recently, and Daniel is very sad because of that.

Andrei asteapta rezultatul de la examenul de admitere la engleza, si este foate nervos din cauza aceasta.

Andrei is waiting for the results in the English entrance exam, and is very nervous because of that.

Marian nu s-a mai antrenat la sala in ultimele trei luni. A devenit un pic cam lenes si s-a cam ingrasat.

Marian has stopped going to the gym in the last three months. He has become a little bit lazy and put on a bit of weight.

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

Wh-questions in English are a functional area you need to master, if you want to be proficient in spoken English. The same thing happens in Romanian, since the every-day spoken language is replete with interrogation markers. So this time we bring you the basics of question formation in Romanian.

As usual, we begin with a series of useful words and expressions:

What? – ce?

Who? – cine?

Where? – unde?

When? – cand?

Why? – de ce?

How? – cum?

Which? – care?

How much? – cat?

Now let us use some of the words and expresions in meaningful sentences:

Ce ai in geanta?

What do you have in your bag?

Cine este femeia aceea?

Who is that woman?

Unde este Alexandru?

Where is Alexandru?

Cand poti veni?

When can you come?

De ce nu a ajuns?

Why hasnt he arrived?

Cum deschizi cutia aceasta?

How do you open this box?

Care este masina ta?

Which car is yours?

Cat a costat jacheta ta?

How much did your jacket cost?

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

Since the weather of late has been pretty bad in Romania, we will be looking at how Romanians talk about poor weather.

Lets begin with some new words and notions:

– rain = ploaie

– clouds = nori

– cloudy = innorat

– puddle = balta

– wind = vant

– storm = furtuna

– overcast skies = cer acoperit

– bad weather = vreme proasta

– hail = grindina

– flood = inundatie

Now let’s use these words in sentences.

They announced rain.

S-a anuntat ploaie.

There are thick clouds in the sky.

Pe cer sunt nori grosi.

Yesterday it was cloudy.

Ieri a fost innorat.

I stepped into a puddle.

Am calcat in balta.

The wind is blowing.

Bate vintul.

Tomorrow we have overcast skies.

Maine avem cer acoperit.

This summer we have a lot of bad weather.

Vara asta avem multa vreme proasta.

The hail damaged the roof.

Grindina a stricat acoperisul.

Because of this rain we risk having a flood.

Din cauza ploii riscam inundatie.

Expressing complex functions in Romanian is a step you need to take, in your bid to master the language, supposing you need to relate to a native Romanian in a complex situational context. Offering help, giving or asking for directions, or expressing a wish can be very useful in real communication.

As usual, we begin with a bunch of useful words and phrases:

Vorbi=speak

Pentru un moment=for a moment

Incerca=try

Raspunde=answer

Intrebare=question

Studia=study

Devreme=early

Tired=oboist

Veni=come

Dori=want

Muzeu=museum

Merge=go

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

Vreau sa vorbesc cu tine pentru un moment.

I want to speak with you for a moment.

Am sa incerc sa raspund la aceasta intrebare pentru tine.

I will try to answer that question for you.

S-a dus in Romania pentru a studia Limba romana.

He went to Romania to study Romanian.

Ea a plecat devreme pentru ca era obosita.

She left early because she was tired.

Daca doresti, poti sa vii cu mine.

If you want, you can come with me.

Sa mergem la muzeu acum.

Lets go to the museum now.

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!

Going shopping every day provides a good opportunity to practise basic Romanian, especially if you want to develop conversational exchange skills, should you need to buy food and drink. This time it’s a bunch of food and drink words you’ll be exposed to, in the hopes that you’ll be quick to acquire functional Romanian.

Here is a series of useful words and expressions:

Brinza=cheese

Cafea=coffee

Carne=meat

Cirnat=sausage

Legume=vegetables

Ou=egg

Piine=bread

Proaspat=fresh

Salata=salad

Sandvis=sandwich

Sare=salt

Suc=juice

Unt=butter

Vin=wine

Now let us use some of the words and expresions in meaningful sentences:

You can buy fresh vegetables for a reasonable price close to the place I live.

Poti sa cumperi legume proaspete la un pret bun, aproape de zona unde locuiesc eu.

A strong coffee in the morning really gets me going.

O cafea tare dimineata este intr-adevar revigoranta.

Bread and butter used to be the staple food in our grandparents’ time.

Pinea cu unt era mincarea de baza pe vremea bunicilor nostri.

When I was a kid, my grandmother used to prepare a tomato-and-cheese sandwich for me to take to school.

Cind eram copil, bunica imi pregatea un sandvis cu rosii si brinza pe care il luam cu mine la scoala.

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!