Romanian phrases | Most common phrases for everyday life

Romanian phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Romanian with translation. | Free & useful

Whether you’re meeting your partner’s family, planning a trip to Romania or Moldova, or reconnecting with your own roots, a handful of the right Romanian phrases changes everything. They are the difference between standing on the edge of a conversation and actually being part of it. Romanian phrases are the short expressions and courtesies people use every day to greet, thank, apologise, say goodbye and simply keep a warm conversation going — and the good news is you can start using them today.

I’ve learned several languages from scratch over the past twenty years, and phrases like these are always where I tell people to start: they give you small wins fast, and those small wins are what keep you going. Below you’ll find the most useful Romanian phrases, each with an English translation and a phonetic transcription so you know exactly how to pronounce them.

Romanian phrases you should know

OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Languages, where you can learn Romanian phrases and dialogues today.

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Greet someone in Romanian

If you want to greet someone in Romanian, it’s actually quite easy:

If you are greeted in Romanian, the best way to respond is as follows:

How is my dialogue partner?

As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking how the person you are talking to is doing. Here’s how you do it:

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

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More information in our full guide to the Romanian language course online.

How to say goodbye in Romanian

Saying goodbye to a friend or a stranger in Romanian is not difficult. Depending on how formal you want to be — and whether it’s daytime or night — just use the following phrases:

How do I introduce myself in Romanian?

When travelling in Romania, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Romanian and know who you’re talking to.

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

If you have problems with your Romanian, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:

Useful sentences with ‘I am…’

The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Romanian and express your wishes and concerns:

Apologising in Romanian

Here’s how to apologise to a Romanian speaker:

Romanian sayings and proverbs

Romanians love a good proverb, and dropping one at the right moment is a quick way to sound natural and show you appreciate the culture. Here are a few of the best-known Romanian sayings:

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More information in our full guide to how to learn Romanian online.

Useful signs and notices in Romanian

Useful signs and messages in Romanian that you will often see.

Numbers to 25 in Romanian

Counting in Romanian is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Romanian from 1 to 25.

The colours in Romanian

The most common colours in Romanian with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

Days of the week, months and seasons in Romanian

Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Romanian and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Romanian.

OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Romanian phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Languages, where you can learn Romanian phrases and dialogues.

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Frequently asked questions about Romanian phrases

How do you say hello in Romanian?

The most common way is Bună! for an informal hello, or Bună ziua! (“good day”) in formal situations. In the morning you can say Bună dimineața! and in the evening Bună seara!

How do you say goodbye in Romanian?

Use La revedere! as a formal goodbye, or simply Pa! (“bye”) with friends and family. At night you say Noapte bună! (“good night”), and to say “see you soon” you say Ne vedem curând!

How do you say thank you in Romanian?

Say Mulțumesc! for “thank you”. In casual conversation you’ll also hear the shorter Mersi!, borrowed from French.

Is Romanian hard to pronounce?

Not particularly. Romanian uses the Latin alphabet with five extra letters and is largely phonetic, so once you know how the letters sound you can read almost any word. The phonetic transcriptions in this guide show you exactly how each phrase sounds.

For a deeper dive into the language itself, see the Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on the Romanian language.

Keep learning Romanian

• How to learn Romanian online – the complete course guide
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• Train your listening comprehension at the same time
• Learning languages quickly – is it possible?
• The different types of language learners