One of the most important things to know when visiting a country is how to greet people in their language.
The three greetings, based on the time of the day, are:
Buna dimineata (with a T pronounced as TS) – buna = good, dimineata = morning
Buna ziua (used all day long, from 11 am onwards) – ziua = day
Buna seara – seara = evening
There is also an informal “Hello/Hey” = Salut!
A fourth greeting, Noapte buna!, means “good night” and is used when someone is going to sleep.
So, how would you greet a shop assistant at 9 am? How would you greet the driver when you get in a taxi at 2 pm? Which greeting would you use when you see a Romanian friend?
(The right answers are Buna dimineata!, Buna ziua! and Salut!, respectively.)
Saying goodbye is equally easy:
La revedere! (formal)
Pa! (informal)
Introducing yourself can be done in few ways. You can say:
Sunt… (+ your name). Sunt = I am. For example, Sunt Paula/Sunt Albert.
Numele meu este… = My name is… (Numele meu este Paula/Albert.)
Ma numesc…/Ma cheama… (+ your name). Both mean, literally, “I am called”. For instance, Ma numesc Paula/Albert. Ma cheama Paula/Albert. (CH is pronounced as K.)
Nu sunt = I am not.
You can say: Nu sunt din Romania. Nu sunt roman. Sunt din… (+ your country).
Ma bucur = I am glad (to meet you).
You can find basic information about Romanian here: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Romanian-language
Article by Nadia Esslim
