RomanianPod101.com Blog

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

Admit it—only the first few pages in your grammar books are thumbed back. Most people like the idea of knowing all about the grammar of a particular language, but when it gets down to it, they much prefer communicating. Naturally there are exceptions: I’ve known some dedicated students to start Russian with nothing but a dictionary, a notebook, and War and Peace. But with a language like Romanian, how much good is the grammar (like Romanian connecting words) really going to do you? If you squint long enough at most of the words, the meaning pops into your head and, more often than not, it’s right. Well, it’s not quite that easy. And with a grammar point as ubiquitous as Romanian conjunctions, getting the meaning "mostly right"... 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

Did you know there are many different types of calendars? As you probably know - a calendar is a system of organizing days in weeks and months for specific purposes, according to Wikipedia. Worldwide, most countries use the Gregorian calendar. Some just work on the same framework, meaning that time is divided into units based on the earth's movement around the sun - the "solar calendar". Other calendars keep time by observing the moon's movements, a combination of the moon and the sun's movements, and seasons. Through RomanianPod101, you can learn all about this and so much more! Our themed, culturally relevant lessons are skillfully designed so you can do your planning perfectly for a holiday or a date. Having a good plan for a visit... Show more

To some people, family means no one gets left behind. To others, it just means tasty food. Learning to talk about and understand the different words for family members in other languages can seem like a daunting task. There’s, what, a dozen words you’ve got to learn all at once? Two dozen? But here’s why it’s worth it to learn about Romanian family traditions and terms in your Romanian studies. Speaking clearly and correctly about a topic so integral to a culture like family is an important challenge to overcome. There are few things so closely tied to one’s identity as one’s family – just imagine the kind of gut reaction you would have if your sister called you "mom!" In this article, you’ll learn how to say "family" in Romanian,... Show more

Traveling to foreign countries is nearly always an exciting, enriching, and beneficial experience. Yet, some things can be real downers, such as boredom on a lengthy flight to . Really, binge-watching onboard movies can only be interesting for so long! And jet lag - another huge downer. Did you know that jet lag is more severe when you travel from the West to the East? Well, we won't know how to beat that, but there are fortunately plenty of remedies around to investigate. To beat flight boredom, though, we may have the answer for you at RomanianPod101! Why don't you take the time to study Romanian travel phrases? We make this super easy and fun, with great downloadables, like our PDF Cheat Sheets. Quickly memorize these, and impress... Show more