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1
Bună ziua
Hello
In this unit you will learn
- to say hello and goodbye
- to say thank you
- to exchange greetings
- to ask people to speak more slowly
- how to pronounce Romanian sounds
Before you start
Read the general introduction to the course. This gives some useful advice on studying by yourself and how to make the most of the course.
As you probably know, people learn in different ways: some need to know rules for everything, others like to feel their way intuitively. In this unit you’ll be given the opportunity to find out what works best for you.
Make sure you’ve got your CD player next to you as you’ll need to listen to Key words and the section on Romanian sounds. If you don’t have the recording use the section on Romanian sounds in this unit to help with pronunciation.
Exercise
Can you think of any Romanian word you know such as the words for Hello and Thank you? Say them aloud and look at the Key words section below to check the answers.
Key words and phrases
CD TR 2
Before you listen to the recording, look back at the section A few words about the recording in the introduction to find out how to listen to the Key words and dialogues.
QUICK VOCAB
bună ziua good afternoon, hello
bună dimineaţa good morning
bună seara good evening (after 6 p.m.)
noapte bună good night (when going to bed)
la revedere goodbye
da, mulţumesc yes, please
nu, mulţumesc no thank you
vă rog please
Poftim? Sorry? (when you want something repeated)
poftim here you are
scuzaţi sorry (to apologize)
Vorbiţi englezeşte doamnă/domnule/domnişoară? Do you speak English, Madam/Sir/Miss?
Vorbiţi româneşte doamnă/domnule/domnişoară? Do you speak Romanian, Madam/Sir/Miss?
Vorbiţi mai rar, vă rog. Speak more slowly, please.
bine OK/well
foarte bine very well
Ce mai faceţi? How are you?
bine, mulţumesc well, thank you
Dar dumneavoastră? And you?
aşa şi aşa so so
There are several ways of learning vocabulary. Find out the way that works best for you. Here are a few suggestions.
| a | Say the words aloud as you read them. |
| b | Write the words over and over again. |
| c | Listen to the recording several times. |
| d | Study the list from beginning to end then backwards. |
| e | Associate the Romanian words with similar sounding words in English. |
| f | Associate the words with pictures or situations (e.g. bună ziua, bună seara with shaking hands). |
Grammar and pronunciation
1 Silent i
As a general rule don’t pronounce i at the end of a word i.e. vorbiţi, scuzaţi, faceţi.
CD TR 3
2 Simple questions
The simplest way of asking something in Romanian is to raise the tone of your voice on the last syllable of the sentence: vorbiţi englezeşte? ↑ or poftim? ↑
3 ‘No, thank you’
If you want to refuse something in Romanian you say nu, mulţumesc.
Insight
| 1 | If you wanted someone to speak more slowly, you would say Vorbiţi mai rar, vă rog Speak more slowly, please. |
| 2 | When refusing something, say Nu, mulţumesc. |
| 3 | To ask a question, raise your voice, unless you’re starting the question with an interrogative word, as in Ce mai faceţi? |
| 4 | The letter ţ is pronounced like in cats. |
| 5 | The group of letters oa is pronounced like the ‘wo’ of wonder. |
Dialogue
CD TR 3 00:23
| Domnul Porter | Bunăziua, Doamnă Enescu. |
| Doamna Enescu | Bună ziua, Domnule Porter. |
| Domnul Porter | Ce mai faceţi? |
| Doamna Enescu | Bine, mulţumesc. Dar dumneavoastră? |
| Domnul Porter | Foarte bine. |
| Doamna Enescu | Vorbiţi bine româneşte! |
| Domnul Porter | Poftim? Mai rar, vă rog. |
| Doamna Enescu | Scuzaţi. Vorbiţi bine româneşte! |
| Domnul Porter | Aşa şi aşa. |
Try to learn the dialogue by heart by repeating it several times.
Insight: Greeting Romanians and attracting attention
In Romania people shake hands with friends ...
