Pronunciation
Phrases & Vocabulary
Romanian Language
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a
like 'u' in "cup", 'a' in "target"
e
like 'e' in "ten”
i
like 'i' in "dip" when in the middle
or start of a word. When at the end, it is barely sounded - for example,
in the word Bucuresti, it is pronounced Boo-KOO-resht with a very short
and slight i - never pronounce it as Boo-KOO-reshtee. The terminal "i"
causes a slight "softening" of the preceding consonant. The
few Romanian words with a very strong terminal "i" sound are
spelled with a double "i" ("ii").
o
like 'o' in "chlorine", rounded, fairly
short sound
u
like 'oo' in "broom", but much shorter
a
like 'a' in "digital". This sound
is usually mispronounced (people tend to pronounce it like 'u' in 'cup',
but in fact, this sound is frequently found in English. When seeing a
always think of the sound in the 'rather' than in 'bra'. Similar to French
'e' in word 'je'.
â, î
no precise English equivalent - it's best to
hear it being spoken. â and î are the same sound in Romanian.
î is used at the beginning and at the end of words, â in all
other cases. The closest American English sound is the ""oo""
in "book", but it's a bit shifted toward a "soft 'i'",
as in "it". Similar to French 'u' in word 'rue'.
