Being outside in Romania is great—except when you’re lost. Wouldn’t it be great if you could ask somebody for help? Or even just ask where the McDonald’s is? That, of course, is the obvious benefit of knowing how to talk about directions in Romanian. (Not the McDonald’s part, the not-getting-lost part.) Did you know, though, that mastering directions in Romanian can level-up your whole command of the language? Think about it: you’ve got new vocabulary, new sentence patterns, and even new conversation starters, just from one topic. How much do you know already about directions in Romanian? Table of Contents Basic Cultural Notes and Phrases Learn the Romanian Compass Points City Vocabulary and Reference Points ... Show more

If you know any Romanians, then you might have asked them to teach you a couple of Romanian words in the past. Most people jump straight to the curse words, which are always good for a laugh. But there's another class of words that can have a much better effect. Those are Romanian compliments. A foreigner who knows how to speak a little Romanian is not a rarity anymore. But someone who knows how to speak Romanian well is hard to come across. How about someone who can pay natural, beautiful compliments in Romanian? Nearly impossible to find. However, that can be you. All you have to do is read this article. Because you can't just rush into Romanian. It's different enough from English that some things you'd expect to transfer over... Show more

Are you having a bad day in Bucharest? Crabby in Cluj? Testy in Timișoara? You might want to take a deep breath and let it out. Or not. Because sometimes it’s really necessary to put your anger into words and tell others how you really feel. Or suppose somebody's harassing you. You don't want to give them any kind of leeway—you want them gone, and pronto. So now is the perfect time for you to review (or learn for the first time) how to express your anger in Romanian with some angry words and phrases you can use. We're not going to get too explicit here. Learning some mild insults, sentence patterns about anger, and maybe some more serious insults is good enough. Anything you want to express with these phrases is going to come across... Show more

There’s a lot to be said for being able to make good small talk in another language. Conversations can start up and keep going indefinitely with the right people. But what can you talk about? Perhaps you’ve tried talking about something like the weather, or food, but didn’t get terribly far. Or perhaps you’ve already met someone in Romania and gotten along with them, but you don’t know what to talk about whenever you hang out. The truth is, all you really need is this list. For starters, anyway, as you begin learning how to wish someone a happy birthday in Romanian and similar best wishes in Romanian. Take a look at these different situations. They all represent life events, big or small, that can be the topic of a great conversation.... Show more

I remember even when I was little, I knew that chatting about the weather was sort of cliché. I had no idea how you would do it—what, you would just say it was hot or cold? It turns out, obviously, that yes, that is the case. That’s exactly what you do, and otherwise society would break down. Well, maybe that’s a little overdramatic. But my point is that chatting about the weather fills a really important role of small talk that’s always accessible. If you dash under a coffee shop awning during a sudden cloudburst and there’s someone else there too, what else can you do but laugh and curse the sky? When you get to Romania, you’ll probably be itching to try out your language skills on others. You don’t have to be close friends to... Show more

Are you stuck in a Romanian loop? Do you keep learning a little then sliding back down, unable to really understand what people are saying? Chances are, your vocabulary just isn’t quite there yet. Vocabulary actually makes a big difference when it comes to comprehension. It may sound obvious, but the truth is that no matter how you’re learning, if you don’t know the words, you don’t know the words. In this article, just for you, we’ve got one-hundred fantastic Romanian adjectives that you can use to spice up your Romanian. And these are the real deal, complete with real-life example sentences. One quick read-through of our top Romanian adjectives list and your Romanian will never be the same. Let’s go! Table of Contents A... Show more

International Women’s Day in Romania is a special day to appreciate women, shower them with gifts, and let them know how much you love and respect them. It’s also a day to celebrate the gains women have made over the years and to continue pursuing equality and women’s rights. In this article, you’ll learn all about how Romanians celebrate Women’s Day. Let’s get started! 1. What is International Women’s Day? In Romania, International Women’s Day is a day set aside to honor and respect women. In addition, this holiday is meant to encourage more rights and equality for women, and to a sărbători, or "celebrate," the gains women have already experienced. International Women’s Day history in Romania began in 1945, though this... Show more

Some people doubted that Netflix would ever come to Romania. Not a lot of people in the "international media" market think of that European country too much, sadly. But Netflix made a calculated decision when it finally created Netflix Romania. First, Romanians have some of the fastest and cheapest internet in the world. They’ve been streaming high-definition videos for years. Second, they love to watch TV and movies from all over the world. It’s not uncommon to find young Romanians speaking perfect English that they learned from the Cartoon Network and, more recently, the Disney Channel. All in all, the decision to make the program Netflix Romania seems like a smart decision. Romania, though, isn’t an English-speaking country yet.... Show more

Who is Constantin Brancusi, and why is he considered such a significant person in Romanian culture? In this article, we’ll go over some Constantin Brancusi facts, explore some of his artwork, and introduce you to some new Romanian vocabulary words. You’ll also learn a little bit about how Romanians celebrate Constantin Brancusi Day! In 2019, Valer Daniel-Breaz claimed that Brancusi’s artwork would always be "one of the most significant forms of dialogue of the Romanian culture..." Let’s dive in and learn about Constantin Brancusi, the artwork he’s well-known for, and much more! 1. What is Brancusi Day? On this holiday, Romanians observe and celebrate the birth and life of Constantin Brancusi, Romanian sculptor,... Show more

Romanian society can be described as "laid-back" in some ways. With the sultry sun, the rich food, and the beautiful scenery, who wouldn’t expect the people to be relaxed? Because of that, you can let your hair down. Treat people well, and they’ll treat you well. Until you do something that you thought was obviously fine, and you realize that the other party took it as very obviously not fine. That situation is confusing, embarrassing, and maybe even dangerous at the wrong time. And the worst part is that it happened from ignorance of Romanian customs, not malice. So that’s why this article exists: part phrasebook, part etiquette guide that helps you avoid doing things out of ignorance. Learning to deal with other cultures is simply... Show more