Romanian alphabet (31 letters), diacritics ă/â/î/ș/ț
Can recognize and pronounce Romanian diacritics
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 ExercisesLearners struggle with ă/â/î sounds and ce/ci vs che/chi.
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 Module 1: Romanian greetings, gender, and first sentences