Travel phrases

Essential Romanian travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Romanian phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Bună ziua to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Romanian speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Romanian travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Bună ziua (hello), Vă rog (please), Mulțumesc (thank you), and Unde este toaleta? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Romanian phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Romanian speakers really use, not an English list translated into Romanian, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Romanian phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Bună ziua Hello BOO-nuh ZEE-wah The default with any stranger, from morning until evening
  2. 2 Salut Hi sah-LOOT Informal, between peers; it also works as bye
  3. 3 Bună dimineața Good morning BOO-nuh dee-mee-NYAH-tsah Until about ten, then Bună ziua takes over
  4. 4 Bună seara Good evening BOO-nuh SYAH-rah
  5. 5 La revedere Goodbye lah reh-veh-DEH-reh Formal; between friends it is Pa or Pa pa
  6. 6 Mulțumesc Thank you mool-tsoo-MESK Mulțumesc frumos is the warmer everyday version; Mersi is the casual one
  7. 7 Vă rog Please vuh ROHG Please in a request, and how you flag a waiter; Te rog to someone you know
  8. 8 Da / Nu Yes / No DAH / NOO
  9. 9 Nu vă supărați Excuse me, can I ask you something noo vuh soo-puh-RAHTS Do not be upset, literally; how you stop a stranger. Scuzați is the quick sorry
  10. 10 Nu înțeleg I don't understand noo uhn-tseh-LEG
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Bună ziua Hello BOO-nuh ZEE-wah The default with any stranger, from morning until evening
Salut Hi sah-LOOT Informal, between peers; it also works as bye
Bună dimineața Good morning BOO-nuh dee-mee-NYAH-tsah Until about ten, then Bună ziua takes over
Bună seara Good evening BOO-nuh SYAH-rah
La revedere Goodbye lah reh-veh-DEH-reh Formal; between friends it is Pa or Pa pa

Basics

Mulțumesc Thank you mool-tsoo-MESK Mulțumesc frumos is the warmer everyday version; Mersi is the casual one
Vă rog Please vuh ROHG Please in a request, and how you flag a waiter; Te rog to someone you know
Da / Nu Yes / No DAH / NOO
Nu vă supărați Excuse me, can I ask you something noo vuh soo-puh-RAHTS Do not be upset, literally; how you stop a stranger. Scuzați is the quick sorry
Nu înțeleg I don't understand noo uhn-tseh-LEG
Vorbiți engleză? Do you speak English? vor-BEETS en-GLEH-zuh

Getting around

Unde este toaleta? Where is the toilet? OON-deh YES-teh toh-ah-LEH-tah
Cum ajung în centru? How do I get to the centre? koom ah-ZHOONG uhn CHEN-troo
Coborâți? Are you getting off? koh-boh-RUHTS Asked to whoever is in front of you as a tram or bus nears your stop
Un bilet, vă rog One ticket, please oon bee-LET, vuh ROHG
Cât costă până în centru? How much to the centre? kuht KOS-tuh PUH-nuh uhn CHEN-troo Taxis run on the meter; the lei per km is printed on the door

Eating out

Meniul, vă rog The menu, please meh-NEE-ool, vuh ROHG
Ce ne recomandați? What do you recommend? cheh neh reh-koh-mahn-DAHTS Ask for the ciorbă of the day, the sour soup every place makes
O apă plată, vă rog A still water, please oh AH-puh PLAH-tuh, vuh ROHG Plată is still, minerală is fizzy; tap water is rarely served
Nota, vă rog The bill, please NOH-tah, vuh ROHG Nota de plată in full; it comes only when you ask
Poftă bună Enjoy your meal POHF-tuh BOO-nuh Said to anyone about to eat; the reply is Asemenea, same to you

Shopping

Cât costă? How much is it? kuht KOS-tuh
Pot să plătesc cu cardul? Can I pay by card? poht suh pluh-TESK koo KAR-dool Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; the piață market is cash
Un kilogram de roșii, vă rog A kilo of tomatoes, please oon kee-loh-GRAHM deh ROH-shee, vuh ROHG Bought by the kilo in the piață; out loud you will hear it shortened to un kil
Doar mă uit, mulțumesc Just looking, thanks dwar muh OOYT, mool-tsoo-MESK

Emergencies

Ajutor! Help! ah-zhoo-TOR
Chemați o ambulanță! Call an ambulance! keh-MAHTS oh am-boo-LAHN-tsuh 112 is the single emergency number, free from any phone
Am nevoie de un doctor I need a doctor ahm neh-VOY-eh deh oon DOK-tor
M-am rătăcit I'm lost mahm ruh-tuh-CHEET

Locals say

Poftiți Here you are pohf-TEETS Handing something over, go ahead, or pardon? Poftim is the form you hear most
Cu plăcere You're welcome koo pluh-CHEH-reh The set reply to mulțumesc; Pentru puțin is the modest version
Noroc! Cheers! noh-ROHK The toast, literally luck; also a casual hello between men
Sărut mâna I kiss your hand (a respectful hello) suh-ROOT MUH-nuh Old style respect, as hello or goodbye, from men to women and from anyone to an older person. Still heard every day, and older people love it
Sănătate! To your health! suh-nuh-TAH-teh Said when someone sneezes, and as a warm goodbye

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Bună ziua next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Vă rog and Mulțumesc feel automatic, the next step is a real Romanian sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Romanian phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Bună ziua (hello), Vă rog (please), Mulțumesc (thank you), Unde este toaleta? (where is the toilet?), and Ajutor! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Romanian locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Romanian for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Poftiți (here you are), Cu plăcere (you're welcome), Noroc! (cheers!). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Romanian phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Bună ziua and Mulțumesc a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Romanian?

In Romanian, hello is Bună ziua (pronounced BOO-nuh ZEE-wah) and thank you is Mulțumesc (mool-tsoo-MESK). Add Vă rog (please) and La revedere (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Romanian?

Ask Unde este toaleta? (pronounced OON-deh YES-teh toh-ah-LEH-tah), which means "where is the toilet?" in Romanian. If you only catch part of the reply, Nu înțeleg (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Romanian before traveling?

No, but a dozen Romanian phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Bună ziua and Mulțumesc instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Romanian is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.