The easiest way to learn Romanian is to read and listen to short, easy Romanian about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Romanian you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input, and it keeps showing you the most common words and endings, so you can leave grammar tables and long word lists for later. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Romanian to start with.
Is Romanian Easy to Learn?
Romanian is easy to start, and it still takes time to learn well. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute puts Romanian in its first group, the languages it calls close to English, with Spanish, Italian and French. Most of your time goes into noun endings and verb forms. Our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes.
Three things make Romanian easy to start.
- The Letters You Already KnowRomanian uses the same alphabet as English, with marks added to five letters: ă, â, î, ș and ț.
- Words Spelled the Way They SoundRomanian has almost no silent letters, so once you know the letters, you can read most words out loud.
- Words You Can GuessRomanian comes from Latin, so many words look like English ones, such as familie (family) and universitate (university).
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is to learn the five letters with marks, then spend your time on short Romanian you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Learn the Five Marked LettersLearn the sounds of the five letters with marks first, such as ș, which sounds like the sh in shoe.
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, family, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep from each lesson.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like a greeting you want to use.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Romanian at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Romanian.
What Makes Romanian Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Romanian feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Romanian.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| Noun endings that change | A noun's ending changes with its job in the sentence, as when mama (mom) becomes mamei in casa mamei (mom's house). Easy reading shows the common endings many times, so open a grammar note only when one confuses you. |
| Three genders | Each noun is masculine, feminine or neuter, and the word for "a" changes with it, as in un tren (a train) and o carte (a book). Easy dialogues show each noun with these little words, so you learn them together. |
| Which part of a word is strong | Romanian spelling doesn't mark the stress. Play the audio as you read, and common words soon sound right to you. |
| Two words for "you" | Tu is for friends and family, and dumneavoastră is polite. Easy dialogues show you who uses which one. |
What Is Easy Romanian to Start With?
Easy Romanian to start with is short and slow, with audio or questions to help you follow it.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Duostories | Free short stories about everyday moments, such as ordering a coffee, come with audio and questions that check what you understood. | duostories.org |
| Mini Stories on LingQ | This course of short lessons in LingQ's free library repeats basic Romanian patterns. | lingq.com |
| Romanian Weekly Podcast | A narrator reads a story each week, marked by level from A1 to B2, and the text is on its website. | romanianweekly.wordpress.com |
| Learn Romanian with Nico | A Romanian teacher gives short lessons on YouTube, made for learners. | youtube.com/@LearnRomanianWithNico |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Romanian pronunciation easy?
Mostly, yes, and two vowels take the most practice. The letter ă sounds like the a in about, and â and î spell one sound that English doesn't have. Since â and î sound the same, the pair gives you only one new sound to learn.
Can I learn Romanian just by watching Romanian films?
Not at the start, because most of a film goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Films help more once you can follow a simple conversation. Before that, try cartoons, since almost every children's show in Romania is dubbed into Romanian.
Which Romanian app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Romanian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Romanian apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia: Romanian alphabet (five letters with added marks; spelling mostly the way it sounds; ă as the a in above; ș as sh; â and î spell the same sound; stress not marked)
- Wikipedia: Romanian grammar (a Romance language; three genders; un and o; mama and mamei; tu and dumneavoastră)
- Wikipedia: Dubbing, Romania (almost all children's programs are dubbed into Romanian; other foreign shows keep their own language with Romanian subtitles)
