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.
Word lookup: numbers, colours, people, animals, weather
- Open this when a word blocks you. The core path already taught what the two readings use.
- Nouns are listed in their bare shape, so you can weld the ending for “the” on yourself.
- Numbers, eight colours, ten people, twelve animals, the days of the week, and fourteen nouns for the world a fable happens in.
- Only the first two numbers change with the family: unu/una and doi/două.
You do not need this section to finish the lesson. Open it when a book puts a number, a colour, a family word or an animal in front of you and you want it named. The two stories at the end use only words the core path already gave you, so nothing here is homework — and reading the lists straight through is the least useful thing you could do with them.
One to ten
| English | Romanian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| one | unu | OO-noo |
| two | doi · două | doy · DOH-wuh |
| three | trei | tray |
| four | patru | PAH-troo |
| five | cinci | cheench(y) |
| six | șase | SHAH-seh |
| seven | șapte | SHAHP-teh |
| eight | opt | opt |
| nine | nouă | NOH-wuh |
| ten | zece | ZEH-cheh |
The first two change with the family — doi lupi but două case, and “one” is unu or una. After a number the thing goes plural and drops the ending for “the”: trei copacitray koh-PAHCH(y)“three trees”.
Eleven to twenty, and the tens
| English | Romanian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| eleven | unsprezece | OON-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| twelve | doisprezece · douăsprezece | DOY-spreh-zeh-cheh · DOH-wuh-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| thirteen | treisprezece | TRAY-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| fourteen | paisprezece | PIE-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| fifteen | cincisprezece | CHEENCH-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| sixteen | șaisprezece | SHY-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| seventeen | șaptesprezece | SHAHP-teh-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| eighteen | optsprezece | OPT-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| nineteen | nouăsprezece | NOH-wuh-spreh-zeh-cheh |
| twenty | douăzeci | doh-wuh-ZECH(y) |
| thirty | treizeci | tray-ZECH(y) |
| forty | patruzeci | pah-troo-ZECH(y) |
| fifty | cincizeci | cheench-ZECH(y) |
| sixty | șaizeci | shy-ZECH(y) |
| a hundred | o sută | oh SOO-tuh |
Two building blocks: -sprezece is “-teen” and -zeci is “-ty”, both stuck on the small number. In between, “and”: douăzeci și unudoh-wuh-ZECH(y) shee OO-noo“twenty-one”. From twenty up the thing takes de first: douăzeci de lupi“twenty wolves”.
Eight colours
| English | With a masculine thing | With a feminine thing |
|---|---|---|
| red | roșuROH-shoo | roșieROH-shee-eh |
| black | negruNEH-groo | neagrăNYAH-gruh |
| white | albahlb | albăAHL-buh |
| yellow | galbenGAHL-ben | galbenăGAHL-beh-nuh |
| blue | albastruahl-BAHS-troo | albastrăahl-BAHS-truh |
| green | verdeVEHR-deh | verde |
| grey | grigree | gri |
| brown | maromah-ROH | maro |
Colours sit after the thing, like any describing word: un lup negru“a black wolf”. The last three have one shape for both families — verde ends in -e, and gri and maro are borrowed words that hold still. And negru is a cousin of the o-to-oa habit: its e opens to ea in neagră.
Ten people
| English | Romanian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| mother | mamă | MAH-muh |
| father | tată | TAH-tuh |
| brother | frate | FRAH-teh |
| sister | soră | SOH-ruh |
| man | bărbat | buhr-BAHT |
| woman | femeie | feh-MEH-yeh |
| boy | băiat | buh-YAHT |
| girl | fată | FAH-tuh |
| child | copil | koh-PEEL |
| friend | prieten | PRYEH-ten |
Tată is the odd one: it ends in -ă but is masculine, and its “the” is tatălTAH-tuhl“the father” — a reminder that the ending on the page, not the meaning, is what to read. Frate takes the masculine -e ending: frateleFRAH-teh-leh“the brother”.
Twelve animals
| English | Romanian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| dog | câine | KIHY-neh |
| cat | pisică | pee-SEE-kuh |
| bird | pasăre | PAH-suh-reh |
| fish | pește | PESH-teh |
| horse | cal | kahl |
| mouse | șoarece | SHWAH-reh-cheh |
| fox | vulpe | VOOL-peh |
| bear | urs | oors |
| rabbit | iepure | YEH-poo-reh |
| pig | porc | pork |
| owl | bufniță | BOOF-nee-tsuh |
| wolf | lup | loop |
Câine is the hardest word on the list to say: the âi is the tight “ih” with a y sliding off it, all in one beat. These twelve are the cast of nearly every fable you are about to read.
Sky, weather, ground and shelter
| English | Romanian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| sun | soare | SWAH-reh |
| moon | lună | LOO-nuh |
| day | zi | zee |
| night | noapte | NWAHP-teh |
| sky | cer | chehr |
| rain | ploaie | PLWAH-yeh |
| wind | vânt | vihnt |
| snow | zăpadă | zuh-PAH-duh |
| tree | copac | koh-PAHK |
| wood | pădure | puh-DOO-reh |
| house | casă | KAH-suh |
| door | ușă | OO-shuh |
| water | apă | AH-puh |
| road | drum | droom |
Pădure is the wood a fable happens in — walkable, with a path through it. CodruKOH-droo is the old, dark forest of ballads, and is not the word you want in a children’s story.
Asking for things, and the days of the week
| English | Romanian | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | Cât costă? | kiht KOS-tuh |
| I would like … | Aș vrea … | ahsh vryah |
| please | vă rog | vuh rohg |
| Monday | luni | loon(y) |
| Tuesday | marți | marts(y) |
| Wednesday | miercuri | MYEHR-koor(y) |
| Thursday | joi | zhoy |
| Friday | vineri | VEE-nehr(y) |
| Saturday | sâmbătă | SIHM-buh-tuh |
| Sunday | duminică | doo-MEE-nee-kuh |
Aș vrea o cafea, vă rog.ahsh vryah oh kah-FYAH, vuh rohg“I would like a coffee, please.” Days are written small, and “on Monday” is just luni — no little word in front.