How much of the local language you need to know is always something to consider before traveling. When I departed for Romania, I had months’ worth of Duolingo Romanian lessons under my belt.
But if you’re headed to Romania, you might come back surprised about the language barrier.
Romanians Can Generally Speak Good English
English is widely spoken among younger people in Romania, especially in larger cities. If you’re visiting Bucharest, Brașov, Cluj, or Timișoara, you don’t need to worry about your ability to order at restaurants or just converse with locals. Everyone I interacted with in the tourism industry, whether it be accommodation hosts or tour guides, could speak good English.
I will say that if you’re visiting the fortified villages in the Transylvanian countryside like I was, you should expect that many people won’t speak English. While everyone was incredibly friendly, I did wish I knew a bit more Romanian to better interact with older generations in the countryside. Thankfully, I went on a couple of guided tours in these areas, and our guide acted as a translator, which was super helpful.
Romanian Is a Fairly Easy Language to Learn and Understand
It’s easy to forget that Romanian is one of the seven Romance languages. It has plenty of similarities to both Italian and Spanish, so if you know one of those languages, you may actually be able to understand a lot of Romanian words when you see them. I studied Latin in high school, which helped me recognize plenty of words!
Still, I’d recommend downloading Duolingo and spending a few weeks learning some basic words, phrases, and greetings. Since Romanian shares so much vocabulary with other Romance languages, you may find it surprisingly approachable. Locals definitely appreciated my efforts!
What Romanian Words and Phrases Should You Know?
Here are those Romanian words and phrases that can help you out:
- Bună (BOO-nuh) — Hello / Hi
- Mulțumesc (mool-tsoo-MESK) — Thank you
- Te rog (teh rohg) — Please
- Da (dah) — Yes
- Nu (noo) — No
- Scuzați-mă (skoo-ZAHTS-muh) — Excuse me
- La revedere (lah reh-veh-DEH-reh) — Goodbye
- Noroc! (noh-ROHK) — Cheers!
- Cât costă? (kuht KOS-tuh) — How much does it cost?
- Unde este toaleta? (OON-deh YEH-steh twah-LEH-tah) — Where is the bathroom?
- Vorbiți engleză? (vor-BEETS en-GLEH-zuh) — Do you speak English?
- Nu vorbesc română( noo vor-BESK roh-MUH-nuh) — I don’t speak Romanian
- Nu înțeleg (noo in-tseh-LEG) — I don’t understand
- Ajutor! (ah-zhoo-TOR) — Help!
- O zi bună! (oh zee BOO-nuh) — Have a nice day!
In-Summary: Do You Need to Know Romanian to Visit Romania?
You do not need to know Romanian to visit Romania. In most tourist destinations, you can get by perfectly well with English, especially when interacting with younger Romanians.
However, knowing a handful of Romanian phrases can be useful when you’re traveling in smaller towns like Viscri or interacting with older locals. The older generation is less likely to speak English, so it’s still worth learning a little bit of this beautiful language!
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