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Chapter 6 of 16 · Explore the Romanian path

How sentences work · Chapter 6 of 16

First sentences: greeting people and saying who you are

Say hello, thank you and goodbye, then give your name. Learn how am, are and is change with the person, so you can tell who a sentence is about.

≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter
  • Bună ziua greets anybody; Salut is for friends.
  • Know six shapes of am / are / is: sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt.
  • The verb says who, so “I” is usually absent.
  • “My name is” is mă numesc, nearer “I call myself”.
  • este shortens to e; both open with a y sound.

Five things to say on your first day

These five carry a whole first meeting: greet someone, thank them, say goodbye. Say each one aloud from the respelling under the Romanian, and read the last column for who you can use it with.

EnglishRomanianWhen you use it
helloBună ziuaBOO-nuh ZEE-wahanybody, till evening
hiSalutsah-LOOTfriends only
good eveningBună searaBOO-nuh SYAH-rahanybody, evening on
thank youMulțumescmool-tsoo-MESKCu plăcerekoo pluh-CHEH-reh answers it
goodbyeLa revederelah reh-veh-DEH-rehto anybody

Shortened to Bună it turns casual. Yes and no are dadah and nunoo.

Change am, are and is to match the person

English changes “am” to “are” and “is”. Romanian does the same, and these six shapes cover every person. They turn up on nearly every page, so read them until you recognise them.

EnglishRomanianSounds like
I amsuntsoont
you areeștiyesht(y)
he is, she is, it isesteYES-teh
we aresuntemSOON-tem
you are — more than onesuntețisoon-TETS(y)
they aresuntsoont

Sunt is both “I am” and “they are”; the sentence settles which. In print and speech este shortens to eyeh. Both open with a y sound — “YES-teh”, never “ES-teh”.

I am Mina.

Sunt Mina.

soont MEE-nah

Neither word means “I”: Sunt is the being and the “I” at once. Words for I and you exist — eu, tu, el, eayew, too, yel, yah — but the verb has said who already.

Hello, my name is Dara.

Bună ziua, mă numesc Dara.

BOO-nuh ZEE-wah, muh noo-MESK DAH-rah

Word for word, “I call myself”. Of somebody else: se numeșteseh noo-MESH-teh“is called”.

Read the line before revealing it

  1. Sunt Mina.

    Nothing here means “I”.

    Show answer +
    Sunt Mina.soont MEE-nah“I am Mina”
  2. Ești Tobi?

    Opens with a y sound.

    Show answer +
    Ești Tobi?yesht(y) TOH-bee“Are you Tobi?”
  3. Mă numesc Tika.
    Show answer +
    Mă numesc Tika.muh noo-MESK TEE-kah“My name is Tika”
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