COMPLETE ROMANIAN COURSE

THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE: GATEWAY TO YOUR FUTURE

Welcome on behalf of the Romanian Institute!

If you wish to learn Romanian you are in right place. We have created the world's most Complete Romanian Master Course to take you from absolute beginner to native speaker in 30 days. In this section you will find all the information and answers you need about learning Romanian, such as: the best learning method, reasons to learn this language, the costs associated, the difficulty spikes to watch out for, how to improve your prior skills if you are stuck in a plateau, as well as the differences and similarities to other commonly spoken languages.

First of all, you should know that Romanian, known as "Română" in its native form, is a Romance language that stands out as a unique representative of the Latin heritage in Eastern Europe. It belongs to the Indo-European language family, more precisely to the Romance branch, which makes it closely related to Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. With approximately 24 million native speakers, Romanian is primarily spoken in Romania, where it is the official language, and in the Republic of Moldova, where it also holds official status. Beyond these borders, Romanian-speaking communities can be found in neighboring countries such as Ukraine, Serbia, and Hungary, as well as in large diaspora groups across Europe and the Americas.

Romanian can be difficult language to learn. It’s distinctive features can be found in its Vocabulary, Grammar and Pronunciation, which have evolved independently while incorporating influences from Turkish, German, Slavic, and Latin over centuries. The challenge with many learning methods is that they only take you part of the way. Mobile apps are fun and motivating, but they often stay on the surface, giving you basic vocabulary without real depth in grammar or conversation. Live courses offer great interaction with teachers but can be inflexible and expensive, making them difficult to sustain long term. University programs are academically rigorous, but they demand years of commitment and come with high living and tuition costs. Textbooks provide structure and clarity, but they lack immersion and often don't provide the practical information that learners actually need.

If you are serious about learning Romanian, commit to a method that makes you actually speak the language. With the right system, you can go beyond memorised phrases and truly speak, read, and think in Romanian. The journey will be demanding, but the rewards — access to Romanian and Moldovan news, cinema, music, history, personal connections and business opportunities — are immense. The time to start is now with our Complete Romanian Master Course that has been designed to give you nothing less than complete fluency.

NATURAL METHOD TO LEARN ROMANIAN

Our language courses are based on the Natural Method, also known as the Natural Approach, developed by linguist Stephen Krashen and language educator Tracy Terrell. This approach focuses on creating an environment that mimics how individuals naturally acquire their first language, emphasizing comprehension, communication, and a stress-free learning experience.

While other language courses rely on rote memorization and drills, a heavy academic approach to grammar, repetitive exercises, expensive and time-consuming formal tutoring sessions or ineffective and shallow phone apps, we will have you gradually build your language skills like a child learning his/her mother tongue.

There are essentially 5 Core Principles in the Natural Method:

1. Comprehensible Input (i+1)
   Learners acquire a language when they are exposed to materials slightly beyond their current level of understanding (represented as i+1). By hearing or reading content they mostly understand, learners can gradually internalize new vocabulary and grammar structures.

2. Focus on Communication
   The Natural Method prioritizes fluency and the ability to communicate over grammatical perfection. Errors are seen as a natural part of the learning process and are not heavily penalised, reducing anxiety and encouraging learners to express themselves.

3. Emotional Element
   Emotional factors like anxiety, motivation and enjoyment greatly influence language acquisition. When learners are in a relaxed state, achieved by removing the anxiety linked to the pressure to produce perfect grammar, it is easier for them to get through the initial phase which is arguably the hardest and where most give up. It is also proven to be easier for the brain to absorb and retain new information if the learner is actually interested in the language and its underlying culture, which is why he have included extensive cultural insights, historical and modern pop culture elements in our language course.

4. Stages of Language Acquisition
   Scholars have identified the following stages in the language acquisition process of young children:

   • Pre-production: The "silent period," where learners focus on listening and understanding without speaking.

   • Early Production: Learners begin using simple words and phrases.

   • Speech Emergence: Learners can construct longer sentences and express ideas more freely.

   • Intermediate Fluency: Learners develop more complex language skills and can engage in meaningful conversations.

   • Advanced Fluency: Learners achieve near-native proficiency.

     The goal of our courses is thus to mimic the natural language acquisition process without overwhelming the learner with long and tedious lessons but ensuring gradual gains so that he/she remains committed to his/her fluency goal.

5. Meaningful Interaction
   Instead of rote memorization of single words and grammar rules over and over, the Natural Method encourages activities that involve real-world communication to help retain information. This is why we have included storytelling and role-playing scenarios that simulate everyday situations, with exercises that allow the learner to understand his/her current level and thus improve upon specific elements.

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Download our complete Romanian language course to learn Romanian in 30 days and finally become fluent.

You will receive not only all the contents available on our website in a convenient pdf or epub formats but also additional contents, including bonus Vocabulary, more Grammar structures and exclusive Cultural insights with additional vocabulary that you won't in any other textbook.

The additional vocabulary includes 200 different topics and more than 15.000 of the most important words, the additional grammar explanations allow you to create any phrase to express yourself freely while the Culture section contains interesting information that only native Romanians would know about politics, history, customs and more!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The top 5 reasons to learn Romanian:

1. It's Fun! Join a Unique Club
   Romanian is a fascinating and unique language that intrigues learners with its melodious sounds, Latin-based grammar, and diverse vocabulary. As the only Romance language in Eastern Europe, it offers a fresh perspective on how languages evolve under different cultural influences, making the learning process both exciting and rewarding. Romanian is spoken by about 24 million people worldwide, making it one of Europe’s less commonly studied yet highly valuable languages. Learning Romanian is like joining an exclusive community—few non-Romanians take on the challenge, which makes it a truly special skill.

2. Gain a Deeper Understanding of European History and Culture
   Learning Romanian opens a window into a history and culture often overlooked in mainstream narratives. Romania’s past reflects influences from the Roman Empire, Byzantine traditions, the Ottoman presence, and the Austro-Hungarian sphere, all layered with strong Slavic interactions. From Dacian roots and Roman colonization to the unification of the principalities and Romania’s role in modern Europe, the country has maintained a strong cultural and linguistic identity.

3. Romanians Appreciate When You Speak Their Language
   Romanians are proud of their language, which has preserved its Latin heritage despite centuries of foreign influence. If you make the effort to speak even a few words, locals will warmly appreciate it. Known for their friendliness and hospitality, Romanians respond positively to simple greetings such as "Bună!" (Hello!) or "Mulțumesc!" (Thank you!), which can make a big difference in creating connections.

4. Business Opportunities in a Growing Economy

   Romania is a dynamic and rapidly developing economy with growing opportunities in industries such as IT, automotive, agriculture, and renewable energy. Positioned strategically at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe, the country offers competitive labor costs, an expanding infrastructure, and strong ties to the European Union. With pro-investment policies and access to a wide regional market, Romania attracts entrepreneurs and international companies. Learning Romanian can give you a valuable advantage when building local partnerships, navigating the business landscape, and establishing a meaningful presence.

5. Visit Romania for an Affordable and Unforgettable Experience
   Romania is a captivating travel destination, offering stunning mountains, medieval towns, and natural wonders such as the Danube Delta—all at a relatively affordable price compared to Western Europe. The capital, Bucharest, combines grand architecture with a lively café culture and an energetic nightlife. Beyond the capital, travelers can explore the castles of Transylvania, the painted monasteries of Bukovina, the scenic Carpathian Mountains, charming rural villages, and the Black Sea coast—an experience that is both unforgettable and unique.

Why learn Romanian?

Coming soon!

How much does it cost to learn Romanian?

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the United States Department of State classifies Romanian as a Category I language, meaning it is one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to learn compared to most other European or non-European languages.

Several factors explain why Romanian is relatively accessible for English speakers:

Familiar Vocabulary: As a Romance language, Romanian shares a significant portion of its vocabulary with French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Many words also have Latin or Romance roots that are recognizable in English. For example:

Frate (brother) – linked to the English word "fraternal"
Sâmbătă (Saturday) – derived from the same Latin origin as equivalents in other Romance languages
Mare (sea) – directly connected to "marine" in English

Grammar with a Unique Twist: Romanian follows the general Romance grammar system but has distinctive features. One of the most notable is the use of postposed definite articles, where the article attaches to the end of the noun (for example: om man, omul the man). It also retains cases from Latin, making it slightly more complex than other Romance languages but still systematic and learnable.

Influence from Other Languages: Due to its location in Eastern Europe, Romanian has absorbed vocabulary from Slavic, Greek, Turkish, and Hungarian, giving it a cultural and linguistic blend that enriches its character while keeping its Latin base intact.

Pronunciation and Word Order: Romanian pronunciation is generally straightforward, with words pronounced as they are written. Its word order is usually Subject-Verb-Object, similar to English, which makes sentence building easier for learners.

Our Romanian language course is designed to maximize your learning efficiency, helping you reach conversational fluency in just 30 days. Instead of overwhelming you with every grammatical detail from the start, our method develops your skills step by step, ensuring that from the very first lesson you can speak, understand, and take part in real-life conversations with confidence.

How difficult is Romanian?

One of the biggest obstacles to learning Romanian isn’t necessarily the grammar—it’s the scarcity of comprehensive learning resources that effectively bridge the gap between beginner materials and truly intermediate/advanced content. Many learners plateau after reaching an elementary level because there aren’t enough graded readers, structured courses, or accessible media tailored for the mid-levels. Unlike languages such as Japanese or Korean, whose global pop culture (anime, K-dramas, streaming giants) fuels massive international demand, Romanian music, film, and TV—while vibrant—have not achieved the same worldwide reach. As a result, fewer people start Romanian compared with the “big” languages, which leads to a smaller catalog of textbooks, online courses, and specialized learning tools.

This resource gap is compounded by the fact that Romanian, while a Romance language, is geographically concentrated in Romania and Moldova, with communities in neighboring countries and a large—but dispersed—diaspora. Compared with Spanish or French, you may have fewer local immersion options, fewer language exchanges in smaller cities, and less incidental exposure in everyday life. Even where Romanian communities are present, access to level-appropriate materials (simplified news for learners, podcasts with transcripts, CEFR-aligned readers) can be limited, making it harder to move beyond the beginner plateau through natural input alone.

We recognize that the lack of high-quality, level-progressive Romanian learning resources is a real barrier, and our goal is to help bridge that gap by creating content that carries learners confidently from A1/A2 into C1/C2 and beyond through clear explanations, rich examples and abundant contents.

If you have any suggestions for future lessons or articles, feel free to send them to info@learnromanian.org — we’d love to hear from you and create our language contents to meet your learning needs!

Why can't I improve in Romanian?

When discussing the differences between Romanian and Moldovan, it is important to begin with the essential fact: from a purely linguistic standpoint, they are the same language.

The distinction between the two is largely political and historical rather than structural or grammatical. Both Romanian and Moldovan belong to the Romance family of languages, descending directly from the Latin spoken in the Roman province of Dacia, and they share the same vocabulary base, grammar, and phonetics. Still, their usage in different geopolitical contexts has given rise to nuances worth exploring.

In Romania, the language is officially called Română (Romanian), and it is standardized based on the literary tradition that developed around Bucharest and Iași in the 19th century. This standard variety is taught in schools, used in media, and recognized internationally. In the Republic of Moldova, the language was historically referred to as Moldovenească (Moldovan) during the Soviet era. The term “Moldovan” was used for political reasons to emphasize separation from Romania, even though linguists consistently recognized it as identical to Romanian. Today, the Moldovan constitution refers to the state language as Romanian, but in everyday contexts, some people still use the term “Moldovan” out of habit or regional identity.

From a grammatical perspective, there are no systematic differences between Romanian and Moldovan. Both use the same case system, postposed definite articles, verb conjugations, and syntax. For instance, the use of om (man) or the conjugation of verbs like a vorbi (to speak) works identically on both sides of the Prut River.

The main variations appear in vocabulary and pronunciation, but these are regional rather than structural. Moldovan Romanian includes more loanwords from Russian due to decades of Soviet influence, especially in administrative, technical, and colloquial spheres. For example, words like subotnik (a Soviet term for community labor day) or butylcă (from Russian бутылка, meaning bottle) may appear in Moldovan speech, whereas in Romania the equivalents would be zi de muncă voluntară and sticlă. Pronunciation in Moldova may also carry a Slavic-influenced intonation, though mutual intelligibility is not affected.

What are the differences between Romanian and Moldovan?

Romanian belongs to the Romance language family, alongside Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. It is the principal member of the Eastern Romance subgroup, having evolved from Vulgar Latin in the Balkans. Surrounded by Slavic and Uralic neighbors (Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Hungarian), Romanian remains Indo-European but shows several traits typical of the Balkan Sprachbund—most famously the postposed definite article.

Although Romanian descends from Latin, centuries of contact have added many loanwords. Romanian has borrowed from:

Slavic languages (Bulgarian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Church Slavonic) – Long medieval contact and liturgical administration left everyday vocabulary.

• Da (yes) – from Slavic da

• Bogat (rich) – from Slavic bogatŭ

• Nevastă (wife) – from Slavic nevěsta.

Turkish (Ottoman) – Political sovereignty and trade introduced numerous culinary and daily-life terms.

• Ciorbă (sour soup) – from çorba

• Bacșiș (tip) – from bahşiş

• Iaurt (yogurt) – from yoğurt.

Greek – Byzantine/Orthodox culture contributed religious and maritime terms.

• Icoană (icon) – from eikón (via Slavic ikona)

• Liman (harbor, estuary/lagoon) – from limḗn

Hungarian – Especially through Transylvanian contact.

• Oraș (city) – from város

• Hotar (border/boundary) – from határ

• A cheltui (to spend) – from költeni.

German – Habsburg-era and Central European influence.

• Șnițel (schnitzel) – from Schnitzel

• Ștrand (bathing area/lido) – from Strand.

French – 19th-century modernization and cultural orientation toward France brought many learned loans.

• Gară (train station) – from gare

• Birou (desk/office) – from bureau

• Șosea (arterial road) – from chaussée.

English (recent global influence) – Especially in business and technology.

• Marketing – from marketing

• Manager – from manager

These are just a small sample of the hundreds of words in Hungarian that come from Turkish, Greek, Latin, French, English, and other languages. Check out our article dedicated page for the full collection of Romanian loanwords, grouped by language source, and discover how much of the language you already understand without realizing it.

Is Romanian similar to other languages?

These are 5 proven methods that we have developed as language learners (not only as teachers!) that will help you achieve complete mastery of any language:

• 1. Immerse Yourself Completely

  • Surround Yourself: Change the language of your phone, computer, tv, console, news sources, radio stations, song playlists and streaming apps to the language you want to learn.

  • Engaging Content: Listen to native music, watch original movies, learn about the Culture and history of the country on Youtube. This will help you stay motivated and reduce the initial frustration.

  • Make Mistakes: Travel to the country where the language is spoken and don't be afraid to engage with the locals. People will be amazed at your efforts to learn their language.

  2. Focus on the Most Useful Words and Phrases

  • Study Efficiency: Learn the top 2,000 words in the language, as they often cover 80-90% of everyday conversations. Learning takes time but that doesn't mean it has to take very long to see results.

  • Real Conversations: Start by practising with common phrases you'll actually use in real-life situations, like greetings, ordering food, asking for directions, etc.

  3. Use Memorization Techniques

  • Spaced Repetition: Our Lessons are based on spaced spaced repetition systems (SRS) to help you memorize words and grammar in the long term and with miminal effort by showing them to you in progression.

  • Mnemonic Devices: trick your brain and speed up the learning process by trying to think of an example or "story" for each new word / expression you struggle to remember.

  4. Learn the Language based on the Context

  • Practice Makes Perfect: Remember that your grammar doesn't have to be perfect as long as you can be understood! There is no shame in using simple phrases to get you point across.

  • Shadowing Technique: Repeat in your head after native speakers in real-time while listening or watching videos with original subtitles to improve your comprehension.

  5. Consistency is Everything

  • Daily Practice: Even just 30 minutes a day is more effective than sporadic, long day study sessions. Take breaks often when reading and always have fun to increase productivity.

  • Compound Results: Small, achievable goals like reading 5 pages daily, or even just watching a movie or playing a videogame every evening produce results over time if you don't see them immediately.

How to become fluent in Romanian?