Interview Questions for Romanian

The sentence ‘Mărul este roșu’ translates to ‘The apple is red’ in English. This is a simple sentence demonstrating the subject-verb-adjective structure common in Romanian, much like in English. ‘Mărul’ is the subject (apple), ‘este’ is the verb ‘to be’ (is), and ‘roșu’ is the adjective (red).

Romanian has two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine. This affects the form of adjectives, articles, and pronouns that agree with the noun. Think of it like the difference between ‘he’ and ‘she’ in English, but extending to every word describing the noun. For example, ‘masculin’ (masculine) nouns will take masculine forms of adjectives, while ‘feminin’ (feminine) nouns take feminine forms. Determining the gender of a noun is usually learned through memorization, as there aren’t always clear rules.

Many nouns are easily identifiable as masculine or feminine based on their ending, but this isn’t always reliable. There are exceptions and irregular nouns.

The verbs ‘a fi’ (to be) and ‘a avea’ (to have) are distinct and crucial in Romanian. ‘A fi’ is the copula verb, expressing state of being or existence. It’s similar to ‘to be’ in English sentences like ‘I am tall’ or ‘The sky is blue.’ ‘A avea,’ on the other hand, expresses possession, like ‘to have’ in ‘I have a car’.

The difference is best illustrated with examples: Eu sunt înalt (I am tall) uses ‘a fi’, while Eu am o mașină (I have a car) uses ‘a avea’. Confusing these can lead to grammatically incorrect sentences.

The present tense conjugation of ‘a merge’ (to go) is as follows:

• Eu merg (I go)
• Tu mergi (You go)
• El/Ea/Dumnealui merge (He/She/Formal He goes)
• Noi mergem (We go)
• Voi mergeți (You go – plural)
• Ei/Ele/Dumnealor merg (They go – masculine/feminine/formal they)

Notice the changes in verb endings to match the subject pronoun. This is a fundamental aspect of Romanian verb conjugation.

Romanian uses both definite and indefinite articles, but their placement differs from English. The definite article is usually attached to the noun as a suffix, unlike the English ‘the’ which precedes the noun.

• Definite Articles: These are suffixes added directly to the noun. For example, ‘masă’ (table) becomes ‘masa’ (the table). The form varies depending on the gender and number of the noun.
• Indefinite Articles: Unlike English, Romanian uses separate words for indefinite articles, ‘un’ (a/an – masculine singular), ‘o’ (a/an – feminine singular), ‘niște’ (some/a few – plural).

Therefore, ‘a table’ would be ‘o masă’, and ‘some tables’ would be ‘niște mese’.

Pluralization in Romanian nouns is primarily achieved through adding suffixes, but the specific suffix varies depending on the noun’s gender and declension. There’s no single, universal rule; many nouns follow patterns, but exceptions exist. The most common plural suffixes are ‘-i’ (masculine nouns) and ‘-e’ (feminine nouns), but others exist as well, making it essential to memorize the plural form of frequently used nouns.

For example: carte (book) becomes cărți (books), while copil (child) becomes copii (children).

‘Bună ziua!’ translates to ‘Good day!’ or ‘Hello!’ in English. It’s a formal greeting, appropriate for any time of day. A suitable response would be ‘Bună ziua!’ (Good day!), or a more informal ‘Salut!’ (Hi!), depending on the context and your relationship with the person.

Romanian, like any language, is rich in idiomatic expressions that cannot be directly translated. These expressions add color and nuance to the language, reflecting cultural values and historical context. Here are a few examples:

• A-și da sufletul pentru cineva – literally ‘to give one’s soul for someone,’ meaning to be deeply devoted to someone.
• A fi ca o pisică pe acoperiș – literally ‘to be like a cat on a roof,’ meaning to be in a precarious or uncomfortable situation.
• A bate fierul cât e cald – literally ‘to strike the iron while it’s hot,’ meaning to take advantage of an opportunity while it lasts.
• A se da de ceasul morții – literally ‘to give oneself to death’s clock,’ meaning to be extremely scared or panicked.
• A munci din greu ca un bou – literally ‘to work hard like an ox,’ meaning to work very hard and diligently.

Understanding these expressions requires immersion in the Romanian culture and language. They enrich communication and make it more natural and expressive.

The Romanian subjunctive mood, like in other Romance languages, expresses a hypothetical or unreal action, a wish, a doubt, or a suggestion. It’s crucial for conveying nuances that the indicative mood cannot. It’s formed differently depending on the verb tense and person.

For example, the present subjunctive of the verb a fi (to be) is:

Notice the use of să which marks the subjunctive. This form is used in sentences like:

Ar fi bine să mergem la mare. (It would be good to go to the sea.) – expressing a suggestion.

Îmi pare rău că nu te-am putut ajuta. (I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you.) – expressing regret (a hypothetical past action).

The subjunctive’s usage often involves subordinate clauses where the main clause sets the hypothetical or unreal context. Mastering the subjunctive greatly enhances the expressiveness and accuracy of your Romanian.

While Romanian belongs to the Romance language family, it has notable differences from other Romance languages like Spanish, French, or Italian. These differences stem from its unique historical development and influences from other language groups.

• Pronunciation: Romanian has a distinct phonetic system, with sounds not found in other Romance languages. The pronunciation is often described as being closer to Slavic languages in certain aspects.
• Grammar: Romanian retains more of the Latin grammatical structures, including the use of the genitive case, unlike the Romance languages that mostly lost case declensions.
• Vocabulary: Although it shares a substantial amount of vocabulary with other Romance languages, Romanian has borrowed many words from Slavic languages due to historical contact, giving it a unique vocabulary profile.
• Verb Conjugation: While similar in concept, the actual conjugation patterns of Romanian verbs can significantly differ from their counterparts in other Romance languages, leading to substantial variations in verb forms.

These differences highlight the unique evolution of the Romanian language and make it a fascinating subject of linguistic study.

Îmi pare rău translates to ‘I’m sorry’ in English. However, its usage is more nuanced than a simple apology. It’s used in a variety of situations:

• Expressing regret: Îmi pare rău că ai răcit. (I’m sorry that you caught a cold.)
• Offering condolences: Îmi pare rău pentru pierderea dumneavoastră. (I’m sorry for your loss.)
• Expressing disappointment: Îmi pare rău, dar nu pot veni. (I’m sorry, but I can’t come.)
• Showing empathy: Îmi pare rău că te simți rău. (I’m sorry that you feel bad.)

The phrase conveys a sense of sympathy and understanding, not just a formal apology. The context determines the exact shade of meaning.

The Romanian alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, consisting of 31 letters. It includes all the letters found in English, with the addition of several letters with diacritics:

• Ă, ă: A with a breve, representing a sound similar to the ‘a’ in ‘father’ in some dialects.
• Â, â: A with a circumflex, representing a sound close to the ‘â’ in ‘air’.
• Î, î: I with a breve, representing a sound somewhere between ‘i’ and ‘e’.
• Ș, ș: S with a cedilla, representing the ‘sh’ sound.
• Ț, ț: T with a cedilla, representing the ‘ts’ sound.

The presence of these diacritics is crucial for accurate spelling and pronunciation. Omitting them can lead to misunderstandings or even create different words.

Romanian verb conjugation is a complex system reflecting the verb’s tense, mood, aspect, person, and number. It involves significant changes in the verb’s ending to indicate these grammatical features. Unlike English, which relies heavily on auxiliary verbs, Romanian uses rich inflectional endings.

For example, let’s consider the verb a merge (to go):

Present Tense:

Future Tense:

These examples illustrate the variations in verb endings based on person and number. Mastering Romanian verb conjugation is key to fluency, as it’s fundamental to constructing grammatically correct sentences.

Romanian relative clauses are formed using relative pronouns, similar to English. The most common relative pronouns are:

• care (who, which, that)
• pe care (whom, which)
• cât (as much as)
• ce (what, that which)
• cui (to whom, whose)

Example sentences:

Casa care este roșie este a mea. (The house that is red is mine.)

Persoana pe care am întâlnit-o ieri este avocat. (The person whom I met yesterday is a lawyer.)

The relative pronoun agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to. The position of the relative clause in the sentence is fairly flexible, but the overall sentence structure must follow Romanian grammatical rules.

Romanian word order is relatively flexible, but it generally follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure, similar to English. However, unlike English, Romanian allows for a greater degree of word order variation for emphasis or stylistic effect. The basic sentence structure is typically Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), but the object can often precede the verb, particularly for emphasis. Adverbs and prepositional phrases are more flexible in their placement.

Example 1: Câinele mănâncă osul. (The dog eats the bone.) – Standard SVO

Example 2: Osul îl mănâncă câinele. (The bone, the dog eats it.) – Object moved to emphasize the bone.

Understanding this flexibility is key to both understanding spoken Romanian and achieving fluency in writing. The context and the speaker’s intent heavily influence the actual word order.

Romanian has borrowed words from many languages throughout its history, reflecting its rich cultural interactions. Some prominent sources of loanwords include:

• Latin: As a Romance language, Romanian has a vast Latin vocabulary base. Many words are direct descendants, though often modified over time. Example: stradă (street) from Latin strata.
• Slavic languages: Due to geographical proximity and historical influences, Romanian has incorporated numerous words from Slavic languages, particularly from its neighbors. Example: oraș (city) has Slavic roots.
• Greek: Ancient Greek has left its mark on the Romanian lexicon, especially in areas related to religion and scholarship. Example: bibliotecă (library).
• German: Especially in Transylvania, there’s significant German influence, introducing words related to everyday life, craftsmanship, or administration. Example: școală (school) has a German origin.
• French: More recently, French has contributed loanwords, often in more sophisticated contexts or related to fashion and culture. Example: elegant.

The integration of these loanwords illustrates the dynamic nature of language and its ability to adapt and evolve through cultural exchange.

Romanian distinguishes between formal and informal speech primarily through the use of pronouns and verb conjugations. The distinction is crucial in showing respect and establishing appropriate social distance.

• Informal (tu): Used with family, friends, children, and close acquaintances. Verb conjugations are specific to this form.
• Formal (dumneavoastră): Used when addressing strangers, elders, authority figures, or in professional contexts. The verb conjugations are distinct from the informal ‘tu’ form.

For example, the verb ‘a fi’ (to be) changes considerably. ‘Tu ești’ (you are – informal) versus ‘Dumneavoastră sunteți’ (you are – formal).

Misusing formal and informal speech can lead to misunderstandings and social awkwardness. It is important to adapt your language based on the social context and relationship with the other person. Ignoring the distinction can be perceived as rude or disrespectful.

Casa este mare și frumoasă. translates to ‘The house is big and beautiful.’

Reflexive pronouns in Romanian, like in other Romance languages, indicate that the action of the verb is performed by the subject on itself. They are formed using the pronoun se or its variations depending on the person and number.

Examples:

• El se spală. (He washes himself.)
• Ea se uită în oglindă. (She looks at herself in the mirror.)
• Noi ne pregătim pentru petrecere. (We are preparing ourselves for the party.)

Note that the reflexive pronoun isn’t always translated literally as ‘himself’ or ‘herself’ into English; its use often depends on context. Sometimes, reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize the subject’s action; for instance, in El se duce singur. (He goes by himself) , the reflexive pronoun se helps stress that the subject is acting alone.

Romanian has several regional dialects that exhibit variations in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Some notable examples include:

• Moldavian dialect: Spoken in the historical region of Moldavia (now split between Romania and the Republic of Moldova), it features distinct vowel pronunciations and specific vocabulary.
• Muntenean dialect: Considered the standard dialect and the basis of the literary language, it’s prevalent in Wallachia and parts of other regions.
• Transylvanian dialect: Spoken in Transylvania, it’s influenced by neighboring languages such as Hungarian and German and also shows characteristics that distinguish it from the other main dialects.
• Oltenian dialect: Characteristic features appear in the south-western regions and involve pronunciation differences and unique vocabulary.

These dialects aren’t mutually unintelligible, but understanding the regional variations is important for effective communication across different parts of Romania, as the differences can be quite noticeable in everyday speech.

Possession in Romanian is expressed using a combination of possessive adjectives and the dative case or using the preposition ‘al/a/ai/ale’ (of).

• Possessive adjectives: These agree in gender and number with the possessed object. For example: casa mea (my house), mașina lui (his car), cărțile noastre (our books).
• Dative case and possessive pronouns: The dative case is used with the verb ‘a fi’ (to be) to show possession. For example: Casa este a mea (The house is mine). This form is more formal.
• Preposition ‘al/a/ai/ale’: This translates roughly to ‘of’ and is combined with the definite article to indicate possession. For example: Casa lui Ion (Ion’s house), Cartea profesorului (The teacher’s book).

The choice of method depends on context and style. The prepositional form tends to be more formal, while possessive adjectives are more common in everyday speech. It’s crucial to pay attention to the gender and number agreement to form the correct possessive construction.

The translation of ‘Mâine voi merge la București’ is ‘Tomorrow I will go to Bucharest’.

This sentence uses the future tense (‘voi merge’) indicating an action that will happen in the future. ‘Mâine’ means ‘tomorrow’, ‘voi’ is the first-person singular future tense of the verb ‘a merge’ (to go), and ‘la București’ signifies ‘to Bucharest’, with ‘la’ being the preposition indicating direction towards a place.

Both ‘dacă’ and ‘deși’ are conjunctions introducing subordinate clauses, but they express different relationships between clauses. ‘Dacǎ’ means ‘if’ and introduces a conditional clause – it expresses a condition that must be met for the main clause to be true. ‘Deși’ means ‘although’ or ‘even though’ and introduces a concessive clause – it expresses a contrast or opposition between the main clause and the subordinate clause.

• Dacǎ: Dacǎ plouă, voi rămâne acasă. (If it rains, I will stay home.) – The staying home is conditional on it raining.
• Deși: Deși plouă, voi merge la plimbare. (Although it’s raining, I will go for a walk.) – Going for a walk contrasts with the fact that it’s raining.

In essence, ‘dacă’ introduces a condition of possibility, while ‘deși’ introduces a condition of contrast despite the expectation.

The Romanian imperfect tense (imperfectul) describes actions or states that were ongoing or habitual in the past. It doesn’t emphasize the completion of the action, but rather its duration or repetition. It often evokes a sense of atmosphere or a past scene.

Think of it as describing a past state of being or a continuing action, in contrast to the perfect tense (which emphasizes completion). For example, you might use the imperfect to describe the setting of a story: Soarele strălucea. Păsările cântau. (The sun was shining. The birds were singing.) This paints a picture, rather than stating that the sun shone and the birds sang at a particular moment and then stopped.

The imperfect is formed differently depending on the verb conjugation and is often characterized by the endings -am, -ai, -a, -am, -ați, -au.

For regular verbs, the imperfect often follows patterns easily learned with practice. Irregular verbs, however, require memorization.

The translation of ‘Am mâncat pizza aseară’ is ‘I ate pizza last night’.

This sentence uses the perfect tense (‘am mâncat’), indicating a completed action in the past. ‘Am’ is the first-person singular of the auxiliary verb ‘a avea’ (to have), used to form the perfect tense. ‘Mâncat’ is the past participle of ‘a mânca’ (to eat), and ‘pizza’ is pizza. ‘Aseară’ means ‘last night’.

Romanian has a relatively complex case system, meaning that the form of a noun or pronoun changes depending on its grammatical function in the sentence. This is different from English, which relies heavily on word order. The cases in Romanian are Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, and Vocative.

• Nominative: The subject of the verb (e.g., Băiatul citește. – The boy is reading).
• Accusative: The direct object of the verb (e.g., Văd băiatul. – I see the boy).
• Genitive: Shows possession or belonging (e.g., Cartea băiatului. – The boy’s book).
• Dative: The indirect object of the verb (e.g., Dau băiatului cartea. – I give the boy the book).
• Vocative: Used for direct address (e.g., Băiete! – Boy!).

Understanding the case system is crucial for correct sentence construction and accurate understanding of grammatical relationships in Romanian sentences. It’s often challenging for learners, as the endings can be subtle and vary depending on the noun’s gender and number.

Improving my Romanian vocabulary involves a multi-pronged approach:

• Immersion: Reading Romanian books, newspapers, and watching Romanian films and TV shows allows for natural exposure to vocabulary in context.
• Active Recall: Using flashcards, spaced repetition software (like Anki), and actively trying to use new words in sentences significantly enhances retention.
• Contextual Learning: Focusing on learning words within sentences and paragraphs, rather than isolated definitions, builds a deeper understanding of their usage.
• Word Lists and Thesauri: Using specialized vocabulary lists categorized by topic (e.g., business, medicine) alongside Romanian thesauri to explore synonyms and related words.
• Language Exchange Partners: Practicing conversation with native speakers provides invaluable feedback and opportunities to learn new vocabulary organically.

I find a combination of these strategies most effective, adapting them to my learning style and goals. Regularly reviewing vocabulary is critical to prevent forgetting.

Learning Romanian presents several challenges:

• The Case System: As mentioned earlier, mastering the intricacies of the case system requires significant effort and dedication.
• Verb Conjugation: Romanian verbs are highly irregular, making memorization crucial for accurate communication.
• Pronunciation: Romanian pronunciation can be difficult for speakers of other languages, particularly the distinct sounds not found in English or other Romance languages.
• Limited Resources: Compared to more widely spoken languages, there may be fewer readily available learning materials in some areas.
• Regional Dialects: Romanian has various regional dialects that can differ significantly in pronunciation and vocabulary.

However, with persistent effort, using effective learning techniques, and consistent practice, these challenges are surmountable. Immersion and interaction with native speakers are invaluable for navigating these difficulties.