Learn to read Romanian
A short, active path into reading Romanian: decode real words from a small sound guide, learn why the word for “the” is welded onto the end of the noun, meet the past that fables are told in, and read a whole fable before opening your first book.
Words
2 sectionsDescribing words, and where they sit
- A describing word is a word like big, small, old, good.
- It comes after the thing and copies its family: o casă mică, un lup mic.
- The “the” stays on the thing; the describing word behind it takes none.
- mare has one shape for both families, like other words in -e.
- An o in the masculine often opens to oa in the feminine.
Six describing words
| English | With a masculine thing | With a feminine thing |
|---|---|---|
| small | micmeek | micăMEE-kuh |
| big | mareMAH-reh | mare |
| good | bunboon | bunăBOO-nuh |
| old | bătrânbuh-TRIHN | bătrânăbuh-TRIH-nuh |
| sad | tristtreest | tristăTREES-tuh |
| beautiful | frumosfroo-MOHS | frumoasăfroo-MWAH-suh |
For more than one thing they take the plural endings you already know: micimeech(y), marimahr(y), buneBOO-neh. And the last row shows a habit worth spotting: an o in the masculine shape often opens into oa in the feminine one.
A small house.
O casă mică.
oh KAH-suh MEE-kuh
casă first, mică after — and the -ă on mică was copied from casă. Expect the thing first; read in English order and you will be a word behind all the way.
The old wolf is sad.
Lupul bătrân este trist.
LOO-pool buh-TRIHN YES-teh treest
The “the” sits on the thing, not on the description — lupul, then a bare bătrân. The word after este is masculine too: it still describes the wolf.
Which ending, and which side
- o vulpe bătrână
The describing word copies the family of the thing.
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o vulpe bătrânăoh VOOL-peh buh-TRIH-nuh“an old fox” - Iepurele este trist.
Peel the ending off the first word.
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Iepurele este trist.YEH-poo-reh-leh YES-teh treest“The rabbit is sad” - Why is it o casă mică but un lup mic?
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The describing word copies the family of its thing: casă is feminine, lup is masculine.