Learning Romanian language

[TiberRiver]

i apologize, but I have one more question, and if it was answered in posts 121-448, I apologize, but:

Are there two or three ways to pronounce "eu"? There seem to be in the songs I have heard, but I wonder if that's for lyrical reasons only?

Mulţumesc mult!

Tiber

[emyiakab]

Dear stranger, welcome to this group!I will try answer some of your questions.
First, indeed the linden comes from our folk literature.In fairy-tales Mr Charming lives in this tree, later in our poetry came to symbolize the loneliness of a dreamer that never reaches his ideal love. According to others, linden symbolizes the "axis mundi" that guides the couple towards the sacred center of the world. The linden has a long tradition in our love poetry, but the poet who gave to it so many meanings in so many beautifull love poems is Mihai Eminescu.So the apropriate title of the Romanian song you refer to would be "Love from the linden tree" and it is certainly linked to the old folk fairy tales which makes love a way that links humans to heavens.
"Por favor" is Spanish, it means Please, but we often use such Spanish or Italian short and common sentences, as we understand both languages without any study.Yes, Romanian is a Latin language, even though the origin is not standard Latin, but vulgar Latin as we call it, which means the language used by people, I suppose you already know the meaning of Latin "vulgus" ....which is not ....vulgar!
I hope I answered your questions, but I must inform you that our best on-line Romanian teacher is Dya.I am sure you will meet her very soon!
We are thrilled that so many strangers, from all over the world, are interested in our language.We do help them with respect and pleasure.

[emyiakab]

There are Romanian words that are written only with initial vowel "e" but you read them using diphthong "ie" such as: eu (I) el (he) ei (they), este (is), eram (was) etc.
So you could hear both "eu" phonetically read, and "ieu" which respects the pronunciatian rule.

[Sahrian]

Welcome to the forum, Tiber!

Originally Posted by Tiber

In my "Human LAnguage" course, the lecturer discusses "vowel shifts" and I found mention of that in an earlier post. May I ask (and please, ignore and forgive me if this is a sensitive question) if the recent vowel shifts in Romanian are similar to the differences between Romanian and Moldovan? And can anyone in Moldova (I am speaking of the new country) understand Romanian and vice versa?

I don't understand at what "vowel shifts" do you refer, but "Moldovan" is the same language as Romanian with the difference that sometimes they put emphasis on some regional aspects of the language (in vocabulary and pronunciation, but these aspects are unimportant) and usually speak it with Russian accent. Anyway there is no problem in mutual understanding, the language being practically the same, as I said before.

[rudaire]

I was the first to mention a 'vowel shift', and what I meant was that many words that were once spelled with a> in the middle are now spelled with i> in the middle, and at least one word (sunt) has dropped the a> or i> and moved to a u... While the 'u' being brought in is uncommon, I believe many words with a> and i> have been affected by spelling changes, or the 'vowel' has shifted..

d

Originally Posted by Sahrian

Welcome to the forum, Tiber!



I don't understand at what "vowel shifts" do you refer, but "Moldovan" is the same language as Romanian with the difference that sometimes they put emphasis on some regional aspects of the language (in vocabulary and pronunciation, but these aspects are unimportant) and usually speak it with Russian accent. Anyway there is no problem in mutual understanding, the language being practically the same, as I said before.

[Sahrian]

Originally Posted by rudaire

I was the first to mention a 'vowel shift', and what I meant was that many words that were once spelled with a> in the middle are now spelled with i> in the middle, and at least one word (sunt) has dropped the a> or i> and moved to a u... While the 'u' being brought in is uncommon, I believe many words with a> and i> have been affected by spelling changes, or the 'vowel' has shifted..

d

My apologies for don't remembering. This is a question of writting, not of speaking. Actually the 'vowel shift' intention was to return somehow to the forms used before the Soviet occupation, read 'to the more latin forms used before in writting', so there isn't something really new.
In practice, now some people say 'sînt', other 'sunt'. But there is no problem of understanding because of this.
AFAIK in the Republic of Moldova they officially still use the 'old' spelling ('sînt').

[amira7]

am nevoie de urmatoarele cuvinte in engleza:

blat de prajitura
visine
zmeura
frisca
frisca nebatuta
frisca lichida
smantana
acru
a fierbe
a se solidifica ( a se intari)
a se ingrosa
castron
cratita
a incalzi pe foc fara fierbere
a clocoti
piure de fructe
galbenus
albus

va multumesc

[rudaire]

Is there a difference in meaning between the following two sentences? Tu poti sa mergi acum. Tu poti merge acum. I notice I'll see the 'conjugated present' forms of verbs after poti sa, pot sa, putem sa, poate sa etc.. But I'll see the infinitive forms of verbs if the sa is NOT used.... Do they mean exactly the same thing, or is there a subtle difference.. Also, I'll see infinitives used in another common application, but cannot remember where.. Can you tell me the most common places I'd find infinitives used? After trebuie if sa is not following it?

d

[Tiberiu]

Originally Posted by Sahrian

Welcome to the forum, Tiber!



I don't understand at what "vowel shifts" do you refer, but "Moldovan" is the same language as Romanian with the difference that sometimes they put emphasis on some regional aspects of the language (in vocabulary and pronunciation, but these aspects are unimportant) and usually speak it with Russian accent. Anyway there is no problem in mutual understanding, the language being practically the same, as I said before.

Moldovan as you call it , it is in fact a Romanian with local expresions. So you may speak Romanian in Moldova or peuple that speak moldovan in Romania.
In fact Moldova and East Romania were one country until 1918 with one kind of peuple.

[Tiberiu]

Originally Posted by TiberRiver

i apologize, but I have one more question, and if it was answered in posts 121-448, I apologize, but:

Are there two or three ways to pronounce "eu"? There seem to be in the songs I have heard, but I wonder if that's for lyrical reasons only?

Mulţumesc mult!

Tiber

No "eu" it is always "eu" with the same pronunciation. In Moldova it is a sound a litlle soft like "ieu" but it is the same word and it is write in th same way

[creepmeout]

imi pare rau pentru nu raspund inainte. am fost foarte ocupat. mutumesc pentru tot faceti. I'm still trying to learn dar nu am mai timpul recent de cand am inceput scoala. I have a few questions again. How do you say this: "Why don't you come stay with me? I'll have my own apartment soon but I'll be sharing with my sister. "

and also, what does chiar mean? I've heard it used in so many ways so I'm not sure.

[apiland]

Buna.

My boyfriend says a little poem at bedtime. It rhyms, and I think it's a children's poem. The only words I remember at the end are "noapte buna." I would like to memorize that to surprise him the next time he says it. Does anyone know what I am talking about, or is this not enough information?

Multumesc foarte mult!

[Tiberiu]

Originally Posted by creepmeout

imi pare rau pentru nu raspund inainte. am fost foarte ocupat. mutumesc pentru tot faceti. I'm still trying to learn dar nu am mai timpul recent de cand am inceput scoala. I have a few questions again. How do you say this: "Why don't you come stay with me? I'll have my own apartment soon but I'll be sharing with my sister. "

and also, what does chiar mean? I've heard it used in so many ways so I'm not sure.

I'm not sure that I'll translate right but I'll try.
In general "chiar" [kiar] mean "really ? " or "it is true" ,"you really mean it "
EX: 1) Vreau sa plec - I want to go
Chiar vrei - you really want to go (or you only say it)
2) spune-mi tot - tell me everything
Nici chiar asa - Not really so
If you have an example I will be more specific

[DeBaires]

How come in some of the books I bought they write:

sînt instead of sunt
cînd instead of când
pînă instead of până

I read the posts above about Moldovan & all that but I still don't get it, cause it was in a Romanian book...are both acceptable, is one slang?

Sorry, just confused

Also, are "chiar", "dar", & "iar" all interchangeable?

[Layla]

Originally Posted by DeBaires

How come in some of the books I bought they write:

sînt instead of sunt
cînd instead of când
pînă instead of până

I read the posts above about Moldovan & all that but I still don't get it, cause it was in a Romanian book...are both acceptable, is one slang?

Sorry, just confused

It's ok! In the old spelling, we used to write with "î", but in the new one, it is written with "â" - an "a" instead of "i"! But the pronounciation is the same in the case of the words: cînd and pînă.

The things change in the case of the word sînt! It's not pronounced as î anymore, but as "u"! It's more refined, to say so! I hope i could elucidate your confusion!

Edit: Well, there are people who use both variants. It depends on the person!

[DeBaires]

Oh, ok, cool, thanks!

I was also wondering, are "chiar", "dar", & "iar" all interchangeable?

[Layla]

Originally Posted by DeBaires

Oh, ok, cool, thanks!

I was also wondering, are "chiar", "dar", & "iar" all interchangeable?

You are welcome!

No, they aren't!

chiar = even
dar = but
iar = again

Te iubesc chiar dacă tu pleci! - I love you, even if you leave!

I-am spus să rămână, dar nu m-a ascultat. - I told her to stay, but she didn't listen to me.

El a învăţat iar regulile. - He learned the rules again.

[DeBaires]

Haha, cool, thanks!

Can any of them be used instead of another?

& is there anyother way of syaing "but" and "again"?

numai for but
and de noua for again?

[Layla]

Originally Posted by DeBaires

Haha, cool, thanks!

Can any of them be used instead of another?

& is there anyother way of syaing "but" and "again"?

numai for but
and de noua for again?

No, the three of them cannot be used instead of eachother!

And yes, you can also say: din nou for again and numai că for but.

[DeBaires]

Lol, all right cool.

Multumesc pentru tot!

[Layla]

You are welcome! Come back if you have other doubts!

[tigress_tim]

Originally Posted by amira7

am nevoie de urmatoarele cuvinte in engleza:

blat de prajitura - - - - ( habar n-am )
visine - - - - cherry
zmeura - - - - raspberry
frisca - - - - whipped cream
frisca nebatuta - - - - unbeaten whipped cream ?
frisca lichida - - - - liquid whipped cream ? ( nu sunt sigura )
smantana - - - - cream
acru - - - - sour
a fierbe - - - - to boil
a se solidifica ( a se intari) - - - - to toughen
a se ingrosa - - - - to thicken
castron - - - - bowl
cratita - - - - pan
a incalzi pe foc fara fierbere - - - - to heat up over fire without boiling
a clocoti - - - - to seethe
piure de fructe - - - - ( - asta ce mai e ? )
galbenus - - - - yolk
albus - - - - albumen

va multumesc

Era mai bine daca imi dadeai reteta, era mai usor de cautat in engleza reteta decat sa traduc cuvintele

[Mizz_B]

I often fight with people so i would like you 2 translate like "go 2 heeeell" and stuff like that