Culture & etiquetteBy Clever Tourists · Published
Romanian is a Romance language, so if you know some Italian, Spanish or French, many words will look familiar. English is widely spoken by younger Romanians and in hotels and restaurants in the cities, less so by older people and in villages. The polite forms matter: Bună ziua for strangers, vă rog for please and the formal "you" (dumneavoastră). Romanian letters with a comma underneath are said ș = sh and ț = ts, and ă, â and î are all close to the "uh" sound in the respellings below.
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Bună ziua ("good day") is the polite hello for strangers and staff during the day. Bună and Salut are the casual hellos, and ceau (from the Italian ciao) is for close friends only. In Transylvania you will also hear servus as a casual hello and goodbye.
Older Romanians sometimes greet women or elders with Sărut mâna (suh-ROOT MUH-nah, "I kiss your hand"). It is a traditional, deferential greeting; you will hear it more than you need to use it.
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (polite) | Bună ziua | BOO-nuh ZEE-wah | Strangers, shops, staff, during the day. |
| Hi (casual) | Bună / Salut | BOO-nuh / sah-LOOT | Friends and people your age. |
| Hi / bye (very casual) | Ceau | CHOW | Close friends only. |
| Good morning | Bună dimineața | BOO-nuh dee-mee-NYAH-tsah | In the morning. |
| Good evening | Bună seara | BOO-nuh SYAH-rah | From early evening. |
| Good night | Noapte bună | NWAHP-teh BOO-nuh | Going to bed or leaving late. |
| How are you? (polite) | Ce mai faceți? | cheh my FAH-chets | Strangers and older people. |
| How are you? (casual) | Ce mai faci? | cheh my FAHCH | Friends. |
| Nice to meet you | Îmi pare bine | uhm PAH-reh BEE-neh | On being introduced. Also încântat / încântată. |
| Goodbye | La revedere | lah reh-veh-DEH-reh | Leaving a shop, café or restaurant. |
| Bye (casual) | Pa | PAH | Friends. |
| See you soon | Pe curând | peh koo-RUHND | Someone you will see again. |
Vă rog is "please" to a stranger, and it usually comes after the request: nota, vă rog ("the bill, please"). Te rog is the casual form for a friend. Mulțumesc is the standard "thank you"; mersi is the relaxed version you will hear constantly.
Pardon works for getting someone's attention and for squeezing past people. Îmi pare rău is a real "I'm sorry".
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Please | Vă rog | vuh ROHG | Strangers. Te rog (teh ROHG) to a friend. |
| Thank you | Mulțumesc | mool-tsoo-MESK | Everywhere. |
| Thanks (casual) | Mersi | mehr-SEE | Everyday, informal. |
| Thank you very much | Mulțumesc mult | mool-tsoo-MESK MOOLT | For real help. |
| You're welcome | Cu plăcere | koo pluh-CHEH-reh | Reply to mulțumesc. |
| Excuse me | Scuzați-mă | skoo-ZAHTS-muh | Polite, to get attention or apologise. |
| Excuse me (getting past) | Pardon | par-DOHN | In a crowd or doorway. |
| I'm sorry | Îmi pare rău | uhm PAH-reh RUH-oo | A real apology. |
| Yes | Da | DAH | Answering a question. |
| No | Nu | NOO | Answering a question. |
| No, thank you | Nu, mulțumesc | NOO, mool-tsoo-MESK | Turning something down. |
The toast is Noroc! (literally "luck"), and you will also hear Sănătate! ("health"), which is what people say after a sneeze too. Before eating, people wish each other Poftă bună.
The bill is nota (nota de plată in full), and it comes when you ask for it. Tap water is generally drinkable but most people drink bottled. Tipping of around 10% is usual in restaurants; our Romania tipping guide covers how to leave it.
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A table for two, please | O masă pentru două persoane, vă rog | oh MAH-suh PEN-troo DOH-wuh pehr-SWAH-neh, vuh ROHG | At the door of a restaurant. |
| Can I see the menu, please? | Pot să văd meniul, vă rog? | POHT suh VUHD meh-NEE-ool, vuh ROHG | Once you are seated. |
| Enjoy your meal | Poftă bună | POHF-tuh BOO-nuh | Said before eating. |
| It was delicious | A fost delicios | ah FOHST deh-lee-CHOHS | Telling the waiter or cook. |
| Cheers! | Noroc! / Sănătate! | noh-ROHK / suh-nuh-TAH-teh | Raising a glass. |
| The bill, please | Nota, vă rog | NOH-tah, vuh ROHG | When you are ready to go. |
| I'm vegetarian | Sunt vegetarian / vegetariană | SOONT veh-jeh-tah-ree-AHN / veh-jeh-tah-ree-AH-nuh | Men vegetarian, women vegetariană. |
| I'm allergic to... | Sunt alergic / alergică la... | SOONT ah-LEHR-jeek / ah-LEHR-jee-kuh lah | Men alergic, women alergică. Add the food. |
| Tap water | Apă de la robinet | AH-puh deh lah roh-bee-NET | Water from the tap. |
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Shop prices are fixed and haggling is not normal in shops or at food markets. Romania uses the leu (RON, plural lei), not the euro. Cards are accepted widely in cities; village shops and market stalls often want cash.
Say Bună ziua when you walk into a small shop and La revedere or Mulțumesc when you leave.
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | Cât costă? | KUHT KOHS-tuh | Pointing at an item. |
| Do you take cards? | Acceptați plata cu cardul? | ahk-chep-TAHTS PLAH-tah koo KAR-dool | Before you queue. |
| Cash | Numerar | noo-meh-RAHR | The word on signs and card machines. |
The train station is gara, and Bucharest's main one is Gara de Nord. For a train ticket, Romanians say un bilet până la ("a ticket as far as") followed by the town.
La stânga and la dreapta are left and right; drept înainte is straight on.
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is...? | Unde este...? | OON-deh YES-teh | Add the place. Unde e is the quick form. |
| Where is the toilet? | Unde este toaleta? | OON-deh YES-teh twah-LEH-tah | Signs often say WC. |
| The train station | Gara | GAH-rah | Asking directions or telling a taxi. |
| The airport | Aeroportul | ah-eh-roh-POR-tool | Asking directions or telling a taxi. |
| Left | La stânga | lah STUHN-gah | Following directions. |
| Right | La dreapta | lah DRYAHP-tah | Following directions. |
| Straight ahead | Drept înainte | DREPT uh-nah-EEN-teh | Following directions. |
| Ticket | Bilet | bee-LET | Trains, buses, museums. |
| One ticket to Brașov, please | Un bilet până la Brașov, vă rog | OON bee-LET PUH-nuh lah brah-SHOV, vuh ROHG | At a station ticket window. |
One and two have feminine forms, una and două, and the feminine două is the one you hear in prices: două sute (200), două mii (2,000).
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | unu / una | OO-noo / OO-nah | Una for feminine nouns. |
| 2 | doi / două | DOY / DOH-wuh | Două for feminine and in prices. |
| 3 | trei | TRAY | Counting and prices. |
| 4 | patru | PAH-troo | Counting and prices. |
| 5 | cinci | CHEENCH | Counting and prices. |
| 6 | șase | SHAH-seh | Counting and prices. |
| 7 | șapte | SHAHP-teh | Counting and prices. |
| 8 | opt | OHPT | Counting and prices. |
| 9 | nouă | NOH-wuh | Counting and prices. |
| 10 | zece | ZEH-cheh | Counting and prices. |
| 100 | o sută | oh SOO-tuh | Counting and prices. |
| 1,000 | o mie | oh MEE-eh | Counting and prices. |
112 is the only emergency number in Romania, for police, ambulance and fire, and it is free from any phone.
| English | Romanian | Say it like | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help! | Ajutor! | ah-zhoo-TOR | Shouted in an emergency. |
| Call the police! | Chemați poliția! | keh-MAHTS poh-LEE-tsee-ah | To a bystander or staff (polite form). |
| I need a doctor | Am nevoie de un doctor | ahm neh-VOH-yeh deh oon DOK-tor | At a hotel desk or pharmacy (farmacie). |
| I'm lost | M-am rătăcit | mahm ruh-tuh-CHEET | Asking a passer-by for help. |
| I don't understand | Nu înțeleg | noo uhn-tseh-LEG | When a reply goes over your head. |
| Do you speak English? | Vorbiți engleză? | vor-BEETS en-GLEH-zuh | Polite form, for strangers. |
| Please speak more slowly | Vorbiți mai rar, vă rog | vor-BEETS my RAHR, vuh ROHG | Mai rar means more slowly; mai încet can mean more quietly. |
Use the polite forms with strangers. Romanian has a formal "you", dumneavoastră, and the phrases above use its verb forms (Ce mai faceți?, Vorbiți engleză?). Address people as doamnă (madam) or domnule (sir) if you need to get someone's attention politely.
Greetings are warm but follow the other person's lead. A handshake is the safe default when you meet someone. Sărut mâna is said to women and elders by older Romanians, not expected from visitors.
Hungarian is spoken in parts of Transylvania. In Harghita and Covasna counties, most people are ethnic Hungarians and Hungarian is the everyday language, though Romanian works too.
Dress modestly in churches. Orthodox churches and monasteries expect covered shoulders and knees, and at some monasteries women are asked to cover their hair; our Romania church dress code guide has the detail, and things to know before visiting Romania covers the rest.
Mulțumesc, said mool-tsoo-MESK. Mersi is the casual version, mulțumesc mult means thank you very much, and the reply is cu plăcere.
Bună ziua (BOO-nuh ZEE-wah) to strangers and in shops. Bună and salut are the casual hellos, and ceau is for close friends.
Yes among younger Romanians and in hotels and restaurants in the cities. Older people and villages are more hit and miss, so a few Romanian phrases help.
Noroc, which literally means luck. Sănătate, meaning health, is also used.
112 is the only emergency number in Romania, for police, ambulance and fire.
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