Romanian for English speakers
A1·18 min

Pronunciation & Sounds

Pronunție și sunete

Romanian pronunciation is consistent — once you learn the sounds, you can read any word out loud. Let's master the five special letters and a few tricky consonant clusters.

Vocabulary

ă
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â / î
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ș
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ț
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c + e/i
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c + a/o/u
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g + e/i
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che / chi
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ghe / ghi
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Grammar

Stress

Word stress in Romanian usually falls on the next-to-last syllable, but there are exceptions. Listening practice matters more than rules here.

  • MA-mă (mother)
  • ca-FEA (coffee)
  • te-le-FON (phone)

Diphthongs

Common pairs: ea (seară), oa (școală), ie (iepure). Pronounce both vowels but glide quickly.

  • seară /ˈse̯a.rə/
  • școală /ˈʃko̯a.lə/
  • iepure /ˈje.pu.re/

Dialogue

Teacher
Spune după mine: țară.
Repeat after me: țară (country).
Student
Țară.
Țară.
Teacher
Foarte bine. Acum: ședință.
Very good. Now: meeting.
Student
Ședință.
Ședință.

Quiz

1.

How is „ț” pronounced?

2.

„Casă” is pronounced with…

3.

„Ghid” starts with…

4.

Where does the stress usually fall?