Romanian Vocabulary List for Beginners: Essential Words by Category

If you're just starting out, this Romanian vocabulary list for beginners gives you the words you'll actually use first. Rather than dumping random vocabulary at you, we've organized the most essential Romanian words by situation — so you learn what's useful for real conversations from day one.

Each word below is listed with its Romanian pronunciation guide and English meaning. Work through these categories in order and you'll have a solid foundation for basic conversation.

How Many Words Do You Need at Each Level?

Beginner (A1–A2) — 250 to 500 words. Enough for basic greetings, tourist situations, and simple questions. You can navigate most everyday moments after just a few weeks of study.

Conversational (B1) — 1,000 to 3,000 words. You can talk about your day, ask about others, and handle most common situations without preparation.

Advanced (B2–C1) — 4,000 to 10,000 words. Professional topics, current events, opinions, and complex discussions become accessible. The 5,000 most common Romanian words bundle targets this level.

Fluent (C2) — 10,000+ words. Near-native range. You can discuss almost any topic and recognize unfamiliar words from context. Get there faster with the complete 10,000-word Romanian Frequency Dictionary collection.

Native — 10,000 to 65,000+ words, depending on education, reading habits, and profession.

Beginner Romanian Vocabulary List

The Foundation

These are the first Romanian words you need — the building blocks of basic communication:

da — yes

nu — no

întelegi? — do you understand?

nu înteleg — I don't understand

nu știu — I don't know

m-am pierdut — I'm lost

nu am nicio idee — I have no idea

nu vorbesc românește — I don't speak Romanian

Introduce Yourself

Use these phrases when meeting someone for the first time:

numele meu este… — my name is…

sunt… — I'm…

cum te numești? — what is your name?

sunt din… — I am from…

îmi pare bine — nice to meet you

Greetings

Know how to greet people at any time of day:

bună ziua — hello / good day

bună dimineața — good morning

bună seara — good evening

noapte bună — good night

salut — hi (informal)

Saying Goodbye

la revedere — goodbye

ne vedem mai târziu — see you later

ne vedem mâine — see you tomorrow

ai grijă! — take care!

o zi bună! — have a nice day!

ne vedem în curând! — see you soon!

Everyday Conversation Starters

Use these common Romanian words to start small talk:

ce mai faci? — how are you?

ce faci? — what's up? / what are you doing?

cum stă treaba? — how's it going?

ce se întâmplă? — what's happening?

Polite Phrases

These polite expressions will take you far in Romanian-speaking countries:

vă rog — please

mulțumesc — thank you

cu plăcere! — you're welcome!

scuzați-mă — excuse me

îmi pare rău — I'm sorry

la mulți ani! — happy birthday! / cheers!

Essential Questions

Question words you'll need from day one:

ce? — what?

cine? — who?

când? — when?

unde? — where?

de ce? — why?

care? — which?

cum? — how?

cât? — how much / how many?

Romanian Pronouns

Romanian pronouns change form depending on grammatical role, but these are the subject forms you need first:

eu — I

tu — you (informal)

el — he

ea — she

noi — we

voi — you (plural)

ei — they (masculine)

ele — they (feminine)

Days of the Week

luni — Monday

marți — Tuesday

miercuri — Wednesday

joi — Thursday

vineri — Friday

sâmbătă — Saturday

duminică — Sunday

Time Words

azi / astăzi — today

ieri — yesterday

mâine — tomorrow

dimineață — morning

amiază — noon

după-amiază — afternoon

seară — evening

noapte — night

săptămână — week

lună — month

an — year

oră — hour

minut — minute

zori — dawn

miezul nopții — midnight

Family Words

tată — father / dad

mamă — mother / mom

frate — brother

soră — sister

fiu — son

fiică — daughter

bunic — grandfather

bunică — grandmother

unchi — uncle

mătușă — aunt

Personality and Emotions

Use these Romanian vocabulary words to describe how you feel:

fericit / fericită — happy

trist / tristă — sad

vesel / veselă — cheerful / joyful

nervos / nervoasă — nervous / angry

calm / calmă — calm

obosit / obosită — tired

timid / timidă — shy

curajos / curajoase — brave

amuzant / amuzantă — funny

serios / serioasă — serious

Numbers 1–10

unu — one

doi / două — two

trei — three

patru — four

cinci — five

șase — six

șapte — seven

opt — eight

nouă — nine

zece — ten

Colors

roșu / roșie — red

albastru / albastră — blue

verde — green

galben / galbenă — yellow

negru / neagră — black

alb / albă — white

portocaliu / portocalie — orange

roz — pink

gri — grey

maro — brown

Going Beyond a Beginner Vocabulary List

A vocabulary list gives you a starting point, but it doesn't build fluency on its own. The difference between knowing words in isolation and actually using them comes from encountering them repeatedly, in context, with example sentences.

That's what MostUsedWords Romanian Frequency Dictionaries do. Each entry includes:

• The Romanian word ordered by frequency (most used first)
• English translation
• IPA phonetic spelling so you always know the correct pronunciation
• Part of speech
• A bilingual example sentence in both Romanian and English

The dictionaries are available as eBooks from our website, or as paperbacks on Amazon:

• 2,500 Most Common Romanian Words for Beginners
• 2,501–5,000 Most Common Romanian Words for Intermediates
• 5,001–7,500 Most Common Romanian Words for Advanced Students
• 7,501–10,000 Most Common Romanian Words for Near-Fluent Learners

Once you've worked through the beginner vocabulary in this list, the frequency dictionaries show you exactly which words to learn next — always the ones with the highest payoff.