Learning Romanian language

Dear all,

A belated multumesc mult to you for answer a few earlier questions for me. I've been out of touch and unable to get back here for a while, but I want to thank everyone who answered my earlier questions.

One of them was on what I called a "vowel shift", and I just bought a Romanian-Englsh Dictionary that brings up this question:

In it, all the words with “â” have been spelled with an “î” instead. Is this the official spelling now? Or is this an optional spelling, transitional spelling?

Also, this dictionary mentions that the "R" is trilled in every position: so is EVERY "R" trilled? I'm tring to find an affordable language program but for now I'm limited to listening to video clips and songs on YouTube.

Multumesc mult!!

E>

Hello!

Originally Posted by TiberRiver

In it, all the words with “â” have been spelled with an “î” instead. Is this the official spelling now? Or is this an optional spelling, transitional spelling?

The dictionary you bought uses the old spelling.

The new spelling is this one:

î is used when it is the first OR the last letter in a word
â is used inside the word

(This old-new spelling may be confusing to you because histiorically speaking first we used the spelling with â, then we changed it to only î (no matter where it was in the word), and now(a few years ago) we came back to using î and â as I explained above)

Originally Posted by TiberRiver

Also, this dictionary mentions that the "R" is trilled in every position: so is EVERY "R" trilled?

No! r is trilled only by the persons who speak like this, because they were born with this particularity in pronounciation. Very cute, by the way! But the rest of us, we pronounce r the same way it is pronounced in English.

Hey all.

I've just learned about "ţie" & "mie" & I was wondering how/when it can be used.

In Spanish, we have a similar thing - "ti" & "mí" & it's used for emphasis.

For example: Talk to me=Háblame or, for emphasis, Háblame a mí

Does it work this way in Romanian as well?

For example, "spune-mi mie" or "spune-mi la mie" or would it be "spune-mi la mine"???

Yes, it works quite the same in Romanian.

Tell me! -- Spune-mi! and for emphasis: Spune-mi mie!

As you see the pronoun already appears in the Dative case as -mi. Mie is also in Dative therefore not necesary from the grammar point of view.

Also these pronouns can be used as answers to questions like, for example:

Who did he tell to? -- Cui i-a spus?
- (to) Me! --- Mie!

Oh, and that -mi I mentioned before comes from îmi

Îmi place ciocolata-- I like chocolate
Mie îmi place ciocolata-- the same as above + emphasis.

I found this free software from byki.com. I think it's pretty good, and for less than $50 you can buy more lessons.

http://www.byki.com/fls/free-romania...tml?l=romanian

IHope this helps.

Multumesc mult!!!

I am so relieved! The Latin roots to many words are clearer with the "a" and I personally think the words "look" more beautiful that way as well.

Thank you again!

E>

Multumesc mult!

For the form of the Romanian personal pronouns, please see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Catego...sonal_pronouns

This is another page which I found interesting, where Romanian sounds are explained: http://soltdm.com/langmod/romana/rom_sunlit.htm

Bună!!

This is my homework on demonstratives... can someone please read through it and tell me if there are mistakes in it?
Thanks in advance!


copil:
copilul acesta - copilul acela - copilul acelaşi
copiii aceştia - copiii aceia - copiii aceiaşi (Is it the right plural with 3 i's? Looks crazy )

masă:
masa aceasta - masa aceea -masa aceeaşi
mesele acestea - mesele acelea - mesele aceleaşi

prieten:
acest prieten - acel prieten - acelaşi prieten
aceşt prieteni - acei prieteni - aceiaşi prieteni

lucru:
lucrul acesta - lucrul acela - lucrul acelaşi
lucrurile acestea - lucrurile acelea - lucrurile aceleaşi

casă:
această casă - acea casă - aceeaşi casă
aceste case - acele case - aceleaşi case

pantof:
pantoful acesta - pantoful acela - pantoful acelaşi
pantofii aceştia - pantofii aceia - pantofii aceiaşi

caz:
în acest caz - în acel caz - în acelaşi caz
în aceste cazuri - în acele cazuri - în aceleaşi cazuri

problemă:
această problemă - acea problemă - aceeaşi problemă
aceste probleme - acele probleme - aceleaşi probleme

You'll have your answer in the morning Right now, I'm so sleepy I don't want to write anything stupid!

Ok, let's see Good work

Everything is correct from the form of words point of view. The only problem is with the word order for the last form in your example.

The demonstrative which means "the same" ALWAYS stays before the noun and the noun loses the determined article. The rest of them can stay BEFORE or AFTER the noun, according to how you want to express things.

So, taking the first word as example:
copil:
copilul acesta - copilul acela - acelaşi copil
copiii aceştia - copiii aceia - aceiaşi copii

(Is it the right plural with 3 i's? Looks crazy )--Yes, it is correct. The plural of copii + determined article -i => copiii

Now, if you change the places of the demosntratives and put them before the nouns, the nouns lose the determined article:

acest copil--acel copil
acești copii-- acei copii

The position of the demostratives does not change the meaning of the expressions. Placing them before or after the noun is just a matter of choice.

As for this:
caz:
în acest caz - în acel caz - în acelaşi caz
în aceste cazuri - în acele cazuri - în aceleaşi cazuri

You chose an expression formed with the word caz: în acest caz= in this case.

If you simply need the word caz in another context, you use the demostratives accordingly:

acest caz--acel caz- același caz
aceste cazuri-acele cazuri-aceleași cazuri

Hey, thought you guys might be interested in this:

http://linguistics.byu.edu/classes/l.../romanian.html

It's a short history on Romanian. It talks about Dacian, Slavic & Latin influences on the language.

Delectaţi! (I know I said that wrong )

Originally Posted by DeBaires

Delectaţi! (I know I said that wrong )

Delectați-vă

while the 2nd person singular would be

Delectează-te!

Thanks dya! I was confused because in my book there's not even mentioned that "the same" can not be placed after a noun... that's why I wrote it like above! But it's clear for me now

Poate cineva spune-mi cum să spun "Cheer up!" în româneşte de zi cu zi? (Can someone tell me how to say "Cheer up!" in everyday Romanian?)

Also what is the Romanian term for the English word/concept "wordplay"? Is there a different term in Ro for the specific type of wordplay we call a "pun"? Is it "joc de cuvinte"?

Multumesc in advans.

Hello!

Honestly, the word we use for "Cheer up" these days is ... "Smile!!" LOL! Not of very much help, huh?! Anyway, this happens because we do not have an expression that we actualy use as English uses "Cheer up". When we want to get someone out of their bad mood, we may say, according to the circumstances:
Înveselește-te-Cheer up (that's the literal translation)
Revino-ti--Come to your self/ come round
Treci peste asta--Get over it
Lasă--Leave it
Zâmbește- Smile

As for wordplay/pun, yes, the expression is joc de cuvinte and it is the only one we have and we use.

Originally Posted by dya

Hello!
.....Not of very much help, huh?!

Hi dya, and thanks much. And of course it is of great help, sometimes the little things, like how things are expressed colloquially as opposed to what the dictionaries or grammar books say, can make a big difference.

I'm working a lot these days so I don't have a lot of time to spend on the net so my focus has become increasing my ability to understand spoken Ro. In preparation for my first visit to Bucuresti this winter, which I am looking forward to very much!

How do you say "Do you miss me?"

Iti lipsesc?

or ti-e dor de mine?

@Wolver: so, your trip to Romania comes closer and closer to reality

@DeBaires: both expressions are correct(100%!!). The second one is the MOST used.