Lessons for English speakers
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.
13 core sections · ≈ 34 min + 3 optional lookups · ≈ 49 min with everything
3
Read eight real words from a small sound guide
≈ 2 min
What you'll learn
- The guide below is small on purpose: it is built around these eight words.
- Each hint supplies the one thing the spelling does not show — guided reading, not a test from nothing.
- These eight words come back through the rest of the path.
A small sound guide
| On the page | Sound to try |
|---|---|
| a e i o u | ah, eh, ee, oh, oo — a final vowel is said too |
| ă | uh, the a ending sofa |
| â · î | ih, one tight vowel, two spellings |
| ș | sh |
| ț | ts |
| c and g before a, o, u | k and g, as in cat and go |
| c and g before e, i | the ch of church and the j of jam |
| oa | wah, one sound, as in wander |
| ea · ie | yah · yeh |
| r | tapped once behind the top teeth |
| h | breathed — silent only inside ch and gh |
Everything else behaves as an English reader expects. Work left to right and say the last letter.
Eight words for the first story
Use the guide and the hint. Say the whole word aloud, then reveal.
- lup
One piece, and the u is oo.
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luploop“wolf” - casă
Lean on the first piece; the ă is the relaxed uh.
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casăKAH-suh“house” - vulpe
Both pieces are said; lean on the first.
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vulpeVOOL-peh“fox” - copac
Ends in a consonant, so lean on the last piece.
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copackoh-PAHK“tree” - pădure
Ends in -e, so lean on the piece before it.
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pădurepuh-DOO-reh“wood” - pasăre
Leans further back than you would guess: PAH-suh-reh.
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pasărePAH-suh-reh“bird” - iepure
ie is “yeh”, and it also leans further back.
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iepureYEH-poo-reh“rabbit” - șoarece
ș is sh, oa is wah, and ce is “cheh”.
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șoareceSHWAH-reh-cheh“mouse”