Essential Romanian Phrases for Travellers: A Quick Guide

Learning a few words of Romanian can transform your trip. Locals appreciate the effort, and you'll find that a simple mulțumesc (thank you) opens doors, warms smiles, and often leads to helpful advice. This guide covers the essential phrases you'll use every day, from polite greetings to ordering food and asking for directions.

Greetings and politeness

Romanians are generally friendly and formal at first. Start with a cheerful bună ziua (good day) during daylight hours, and switch to bună seara (good evening) after sunset. For casual hellos, salut works among friends or younger people. La revedere means goodbye, but pa is common informally.

• Hello – Salut (informal) / Bună ziua (formal)
• Goodbye – La revedere
• Please – Vă rog (formal) / Te rog (informal)
• Thank you – Mulțumesc
• You're welcome – Cu plăcere
• Excuse me / I'm sorry – Scuzați-mă
• Yes / No – Da / Nu

Ordering food and drink

Menus in tourist areas often have English translations, but knowing a few food phrases helps in local restaurants. To ask for the menu, say meniul, vă rog. To order, simply point and say aș dori (I would like) followed by the item. Nota de plată is the bill, and apă plată is still water, while apă minerală is sparkling.

• I would like... – Aș dori...
• The menu, please – Meniul, vă rog
• The bill, please – Nota de plată, vă rog
• Water – Apă
• Coffee – Cafea
• Tea – Ceai
• Cheers! – Noroc!

Getting around

When navigating towns or using transport, these phrases will help. Unde este...? means "Where is...?" and can be combined with places like gara (train station), autogara (bus station), or toaleta (toilet). For taxis, asking cât costă până la...? (How much to...?) helps avoid surprises.

• Where is...? – Unde este...?
• Left / Right – Stânga / Dreapta
• Straight ahead – Drept înainte
• How much is it? – Cât costă?
• I don't understand – Nu înțeleg
• Do you speak English? – Vorbiți engleză?

Numbers and basics

Numbers are useful for prices, times, and quantities. Here are the first ten: unu (one), doi (two), trei (three), patru (four), cinci (five), șase (six), șapte (seven), opt (eight), nouă (nine), zece (ten). For larger numbers, o sută is one hundred and o mie is one thousand.

• One – Unu
• Two – Doi
• Three – Trei
• Ten – Zece
• One hundred – O sută

Emergency and help

In an emergency, ajutor! means help. The pan-European emergency number 112 works in Romania. For a pharmacy, ask for farmacie. If you need a doctor, say am nevoie de un doctor (I need a doctor).

• Help! – Ajutor!
• I need a doctor – Am nevoie de un doctor
• Pharmacy – Farmacie
• Police – Poliție

Practise these phrases before you go, and don't worry about perfect pronunciation. Romanians are patient and will appreciate your attempt. A little effort goes a long way in making your trip smoother and more memorable.