Greetings and other basic words and phrases
Before we will get into the hard grammar, we should know how to respond to questions, greet other people and respond to other’s greets.
The first words I would like you to know is the basic responses to questions: da (yes), nu (no), poate (maybe), știu (I know) and nu știu (I don’t know).
Now, let’s get friendly and say hello! For a casual greeting, both Salut and Bună can be translated as Hello. Bună dimineața (Good morning), Bună ziua/după-amiaza (Good day/afternoon) and Bună seara can be used when you greet someone, but in a more formal way. Noapte bună (Good night) is more of a phrase that is said before you go to sleep, like “Sweet dreams” in English.
To introduce yourself, you can say Numele meu este (My name is), Mă cheamă (I'm called), Mă numesc (I'm named) or Eu sunt (I am), followed by your name.
If someone asks you Ce mai faci? (How are you doing?), You can answer with Fac bine/rău (I'm doing well/badly). We say Mulțumesc (Thank you) or Mersi (Thanks) to thank people for their help.
If you are in need of help, shout Ajutor! (Help!), but if you are a beginner or a tourist that came in Romania, make sure to say Nu știu română (I don't know Romanian) or Nu vorbesc română (I don't speak Romanian), since people may assume you can speak the language.
When you say finish talking to a person, say La revedere (Goodbye), O zi bună (Have a good day) or Ne auzim (See ya), before ending the conversation.
This is this lesson's end. Please note that the translations in the parenthesis are not word by word, but they are the closest I could get to what the phrases mean in English. If you have any questions, or suggestions for future posts, please submit them or ask away! I am thinking of sprinkling some small Romanian history posts about once a month on this blog as well, as our history has changed and developed the language as well. See you next time!
