Words

Words

The common ones, first, each with what it is for. A few more sit at the end: numbers, family, food, weather, and the way you ask for help. Standard spelling. Not a full dictionary.

• eu I. The person speaking.
• tu You, to one person you know. Use dumneavoastră with a stranger or an elder.
• el He. Also “it” for a masculine thing.
• ea She. Also “it” for a feminine thing.
• noi We.
• voi You, to more than one person.
• ei They. Ei for a masculine or mixed group. Ele for a feminine group.
• a fi To be. Eu sunt, tu ești, el este. The verb under almost every sentence.
• a avea To have. Also used for age: am douăzeci de ani, I am twenty.
• a face To do, or to make. Ce faci? is the ordinary “what are you doing,” and also a hello.
• a merge To go, on foot or in general. Mergem acasă, we are going home.
• a veni To come. The opposite of a merge. Vino aici, come here.
• a vedea To see. Am văzut marea, I saw the sea.
• a ști To know a fact, or to know how. Not the same as a cunoaște, which is to be acquainted with a person or a place.
• a vrea To want. Vreau apă, I want water.
• a putea Can, to be able. Nu pot, I cannot.
• a spune To say, to tell. Spune-mi, tell me.
• a da To give. Also shows up in please: vă rog is a different verb, but a da is the giving itself.
• a lua To take. Ia pâinea, take the bread.
• a mânca To eat. Mănânc, I eat. The noun is mâncare.
• a bea To drink. Beau apă, I drink water.
• a dormi To sleep. Dorm, I sleep. Noapte bună is the good-night you say before it.
• da Yes. Short and enough.
• nu No. Also the “not” in front of a verb: nu știu, I do not know.
• și And.
• sau Or.
• dar But.
• că That, as in “I know that…” Știu că e bine.
• cu With. Cu sare, with salt.
• fără Without.
• în In, inside. În casă, in the house.
• pe On, and also the marker in front of a person you act on. Văd pe mama, I see mother.
• la At, or to. La masă, at the table. La mare, to the sea.
• din From, out of. Din sat, from the village.
• pentru For. Pentru tine, for you.
• acest This. Acest drum, this road. Această for a feminine noun.
• acela That, farther off. Same idea as the English “that one.”
• aici Here.
• acolo There.
• acum Now.
• azi Today. Also written astăzi.
• ieri Yesterday.
• mâine Tomorrow.
• bine Well, or all right. A reply to ce faci? is often bine.
• rău Bad, or badly. Îmi pare rău, I am sorry.
• mare Big. The same spelling is also the sea. Context tells you which.
• mic Small.
• bun Good. Pâine bună, good bread. Bună is also the short hello.
• nou New.
• vechi Old, of a thing. For an old person, bătrân.
• mult Much, a lot. Multă apă, a lot of water.
• puțin A little. Puțină sare, a little salt.
• om A person, a human being. Also “man” in the general sense.
• femeie Woman.
• bărbat Man.
• copil Child.
• mamă Mother. Mama is “mom,” the word you actually say.
• tată Father. Tata is “dad.”
• casă House, or home. Acasă means at home.
• sat Village.
• oraș City, or town.
• apă Water. From Latin aqua. The thing you carry from the well.
• pâine Bread. The ordinary food of the table — more on bread.
• mâncare Food. What you eat, not the act of eating.
• vin Wine. The household glass — more on wine.
• țuică Plum brandy, the strong glass for a guest — more on țuică.
• lapte Milk.
• sare Salt. The pinch on the cloth and in the brine — more on salt.
• zi Day. Bună ziua is the polite hello, any hour you are unsure.
• noapte Night.
• dimineață Morning.
• seară Evening. Seara bună is the evening greeting.
• an Year.
• timp Time, and also weather. Cât timp, how long.
• lucru A thing, and also work. Am de lucru, I have work to do.
• mână Hand.
• cap Head. Also the end of a thing, as in the head of the table.
• ochi Eye. The plural is the same shape you hear in a pair.
• inima The heart. Inimă without the article. Used for courage as well as the organ.
• nume Name. Cum te cheamă? is how you ask it, not “what is your name” word for word.
• cuvânt Word.
• drum Road, or the way. Pe drum, on the road.
• munte Mountain. Munții, the mountains, are the Carpathians in most of these pages.
• râu River. Not the same as mare, the sea.
• cer Sky, and also heaven, depending on the sentence.
• soare Sun.
• lumină Light.
• biserică Church. The building, and often the parish around it.
• ușă Door.
• masă Table, and also a meal. La masă means at the table, sitting down to eat.
• scaun Chair.
• prieten Friend. Prietenă for a woman.
• dragoste Love. Heavier than “like.” Te iubesc is the sentence people actually say. Courtship that used the heavier words is on romance.
• pace Peace. Also the ordinary wish after a quarrel, and a church word.
• frică Fear. Mi-e frică, I am afraid.
• bucurie Joy. A warm word, not a joke-word.
• a întreba To ask. Întreb, I ask.
• a răspunde To answer. Răspunde-mi, answer me.
• a rămâne To stay, to remain. Rămân aici, I am staying here.
• a pleca To leave. Plec, I am leaving.
• a deschide To open.
• a închide To close.
• a aștepta To wait. Așteaptă, wait.
• a găsi To find.
• unde Where.
• când When.
• cum How. Also “what” in cum te cheamă, what are you called.
• cine Who.
• ce What.
• de ce Why.
• vă rog Please. The polite form. Te rog is the same to someone you know.
• scuzați Excuse me, to a stranger. Scuză-mă to a friend.
• bună Hi. The short hello. Safer with people you already know.
• bună ziua Good day. The safe hello at any hour.
• seara bună Good evening.
• mulțumesc Thank you. The ț is a ts sound. Add mult for many thanks.
• poftă bună Said before a meal. Literally a good appetite. The reply is often the same, or mulțumesc.
• noroc Luck. Also cheers, when glasses meet.
• dor A longing for a person or a place that is not here. Not quite homesick, not quite missing. How the village used that ache in courtship is on romance.
• la revedere Until we see each other again. The longer goodbye. Pa is the short one.
• unu One. The first number. Un bărbat, one man. O for a feminine noun: o casă.
• doi Two. Două with a feminine noun. Doi copii, two children.
• trei Three.
• zece Ten.
• sută A hundred. O sută, one hundred.
• frate Brother.
• soră Sister.
• bunic Grandfather. Bunică is grandmother. The words people say are often bunicu and bunica.
• bunică Grandmother. The person in the well story who knows where the spring is.
• carne Meat.
• pește Fish.
• brânză Cheese. Telemea is the salty white kind used in the egg recipe — more on cheese.
• ou Egg. Ouă is the plural. The Easter craft starts here.
• cafea Coffee.
• ceai Tea.
• zahăr Sugar.
• picior Leg, or foot, depending on the sentence.
• gură Mouth.
• ploaie Rain. Plouă, it is raining.
• vânt Wind.
• cald Warm, or hot. E cald, it is warm.
• frig Cold. Mi-e frig, I am cold.
• a cumpăra To buy. Cumpăr pâine, I buy bread.
• a vinde To sell.
• a lucra To work. Lucrez, I work. Not the same as lucru, the noun.
• a citi To read.
• a scrie To write.
• a înțelege To understand. Înțeleg, I understand. Nu înțeleg, I do not.
• stradă Street.
• piață Market, or a square in town. Where you buy the tomatoes.
• școală School.
• săptămână Week.
• lună Month, and also the moon.
• oră Hour, and also a class at school. O oră, one hour.
• bani Money. Plural in ordinary speech.
• ajutor Help. Ajutor! is the shout. A ajuta is the verb.
• dreapta The right side. La dreapta, to the right.
• stânga The left side. La stânga.
• astăzi Today, the longer spelling of azi. Both are used.
• noapte bună Good night. Said when someone is going to sleep.

For the same words inside a sentence, read a story. For the old set phrases, the proverbs. A small translator uses this list both ways. Lessons: Romanian, English.