Is Romanian Hard to Learn? 5 Surprising Facts for Beginners

So, you’ve decided to learn Romanian, but you’re staring at the grammar and wondering: „Is Romanian hard to learn, or am I just brave?” Well, grab a coffee (o cafea – o kah-fya) and relax. While it has its quirks, Romanian is actually a „hidden gem” for English speakers.

As a native Romanian teacher, I’ve seen many students go from „I can’t say this” to „I love this language!” in record time. Here are 5 facts that prove Romanian is much easier than you think, with examples to get you started.

1. It’s a Latin Family Reunion

If you know any Spanish, Italian, or French, you are already 30% of the way there. Romanian is a Romance language. Many English words of Latin origin are almost identical in Romanian.

• Family = Familie (Fa-mee-lee-yeh)
• Information = Informație (Een-for-ma-tsee-yeh)
• Radio = Radio (Rah-dee-oh)
• Doctor = Doctor (Dok-tor)

2. We Write Exactly What We Speak (Phonetic)

In English, „thought”, „through”, and „tough” are a nightmare. In Romanian, we are honest! Romanian is phonetic. Once you learn the sounds of our letters, you can read any word perfectly.

Example: Take the word for „school”.

Școală (Shko-ah-luh).

Every letter is pronounced, every time. No silent letters, no hidden traps!

3. You Already Know Many Words (The English Connection)

Modern Romanian loves English. You’ll be surprised how much you can say without even trying. Romanians use English loanwords daily.

• The job is cool. = Job-ul este cool (Job-ool yes-te kool).
• I am at the office. = Sunt la birou/office. (Soont lah beerou).
• Happy Weekend! = Weekend plăcut! (Week-end pluh-koot).

4. No Complex Word Order

Unlike German, the sentence structure in Romanian is more similar to English: Subject-Verb-Object. You don’t have to wait until the end of the sentence to find the action.

5. The Secret Weapon: Native Support

The hardest part of any language is the fear of sounding „robotic”. That’s where a native teacher makes the difference. I don’t just teach you grammar; I teach you how we actually talk on the streets of Bucharest.

Example: A book might teach you „How are you?” as Ce mai faci? (Che-my-fatch).

A native will teach you the friendly Ce zici? (Che-zeetch – What do you say/What’s up?).

Conclusion: Is it hard?

Is it hard? Only if you do it alone. With the right resources and a bit of humor (umor – oo-mor), you’ll be ordering a bere (be-re – beer) and chatting with locals faster than you can say Noroc! (No-rok – Cheers!).

Check out my 1-on-1 and Group Lessons and let’s make Romanian your new superpower!