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CourseGrammarDictionaryVocabulary
  1. Home
  2. ›Grammar
  3. ›A1
  4. ›The Romanian alphabet and pronunciation
PronunțieA1

The Romanian alphabet and pronunciation

Romanian alphabet (31 letters), diacritics ă/â/î/ș/ț

Learning Goal

Can recognize and pronounce Romanian diacritics

Exam Skills:Înțelegerea textului audiatProducție oralăProducție scrisă

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Școala este în centrul orașului.

The school is in the center of the city.

Câinele meu se numește Rex.

My dog is called Rex.

Cinci copii mănâncă în bucătărie.

Five children eat in the kitchen.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Romanian has 31 letters including ă, â, î, ș, ț. Phonetic language.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Learners struggle with ă/â/î sounds and ce/ci vs che/chi.

Common Error Patterns

Omitting diacritics

Diacritics change meaning: fata (the girl) vs față (face). Always include them.

Confusing â and î placement

â inside words (câine). î at start/end (în, coborî).

Școala este în centrul orașului.

The school is in the center of the city.

'Ș' = [ʃ]. 'î' in în = [ɨ]. 'ț' in orașului = [ts].

Câinele meu se numește Rex.

My dog is called Rex.

'â' in câinele = [ɨ], inside a word. '-le' is definite article suffix.

Cinci copii mănâncă în bucătărie.

Five children eat in the kitchen.

'ci' = [tʃi]. 'â' in mănâncă = [ɨ]. 'ă' in bucătărie = [ə]. Multiple diacritics!

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course
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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is Alfabetul și pronunția românească used?
Alfabetul român are 31 de litere — cele 26 din engleză, plus ă, â, î, ș, ț .
What are common mistakes with Alfabetul și pronunția românească?
Learners struggle with ă/â/î sounds and ce/ci vs che/chi. 🇬🇧 English: ă [ə] = 'a' in 'about'. â/î [ɨ] has no equivalent. ș=sh, ț=ts straightforward. 🇷🇺 Russian: ș≈ш, ț≈ц — familiar! â/î close to ы. ce/ci=[tʃ] like ч. 🇨🇿 Czech: ș≈š, ț≈c — easy! â/î has no Czech equivalent. 🇩🇪 German: ț≈z [ts] — identical! ș≈sch. ă and â/î are new.