Romanian Lessons - Smart & Simple

Did you know Romanian has 5 letters you won't find in English?

They're called diacritics — and if you've ever tried to learn Romanian, these are the ones that probably gave you a headache first:

👉 Ă — pronounced like the short, relaxed "uh" in "sofa" or "comma"
👉 Â and Î — the same sound, written differently depending on where it appears in a word (Â inside words, Î at the beginning or end)
👉 Ș — like the "sh" in "sharp" or "cash"
👉 Ț — like the "ts" in "cats" or "pizza"

The tricky one is  / Î — there's no exact equivalent in English, but you actually already make this sound without realising it! It's the tiny swallowed vowel in:
🔹 "ros·es" (that unstressed "-es" at the end)
🔹 "op·en" (the hollowed vowel before the "n")
🔹 "cous·in" (the middle sound in "-in")

Some examples in Romanian:
• câine [KUH-ee-neh] = dog 🐕
• mână [MUH-nuh] = hand ✋
• România [Roh-MUH-nee-ah] = Romania
• înger [UH-n-gher] = angel

This is covered in full detail in Lesson 1 of my upcoming Romanian textbook — with comparisons, example words, and tips for every single letter of the Romanian alphabet. 📖

If you're learning Romanian or just curious about the language, make sure to follow the page for more free lessons:
👉 facebook.com/simple.ro.lessons

Save this post — you'll thank yourself next time you need to explain Romanian pronunciation to a friend! 😊

The Romanian alphabet is almost phonetic — each letter has a clear, consistent sound!

What makes it special are the five letters with diacritics: Ă, Â, Î, Ș, Ț.

Especially tricky for foreigners is  / Î — a unique sound (/ɨ/) that doesn't exist in English.

The closest approximation is the unstressed "e" in "roses" (the second syllable) or the swallowed vowel in "cuz-n" (cousin).

Quick examples:

Câine = dog
Mână = hand
România = Romania
Pâine = bread

Would you like to master Romanian pronunciation from the very beginning?

My new textbook is coming soon with clear explanations, audio support, and lots of practice!

👉 Follow for more free lessons:
facebook.com/simple.ro.lessons

Drop a ❤️ if you're learning Romanian or planning to visit Romania!