Greetings and Basic Expressions in Romanian

In Brief

Use bună for an informal “hi,” bună ziua for a polite daytime greeting, and la revedere for “goodbye.” Romanian distinguishes informal singular forms such as te rog and scuză-mă from formal or plural forms such as vă rog and scuzați-mă. Mulțumesc means “thank you” in any register.

Overview

Greetings are among the first Romanian expressions you need at A1 level. They let you open and close a conversation, ask for something politely, thank someone, and repair a small social mistake. Most are fixed phrases, so you can use them before you know how every word works grammatically.

The main choice is register: the level of formality appropriate to the relationship and situation. Romanian normally uses informal singular language with a friend, child, close relative, or someone who has invited you to do so. It uses formal language with an unfamiliar adult, a customer or staff member, and often with an older person or someone in a professional role. The same formal forms also address more than one person, much as English you can be singular or plural—but unlike modern English, Romanian changes the words and often the verb ending.

A useful beginner strategy is to learn each social function as a pair: bună / bună ziua, te rog / vă rog, and scuză-mă / scuzați-mă. When unsure, the polite form is usually the safer choice with an adult you do not know.

How It Works

Choosing a greeting by time and situation

Romanian	English	Typical use
Bună!	Hi! / Hello!	Informal and very common
Salut!	Hi! / Bye!	Informal; can open or close a conversation
Bună dimineața!	Good morning!	In the morning
Bună ziua!	Good day! / Hello!	Polite, during the day
Bună seara!	Good evening!	On meeting someone in the evening
Noapte bună!	Good night!	Said when parting for the night or before sleep
La revedere!	Goodbye!	Neutral or polite farewell
Pe curând!	See you soon!	When you expect to meet again

English speakers should not translate good day too literally in their minds. Bună ziua is an ordinary, natural “hello” in shops, offices, and polite conversations; it does not sound unusually ceremonial. Bună seara is a greeting, while noapte bună is a farewell or bedtime wish.

Asking how someone is

The beginner patterns are Ce mai faci? for one person informally and Ce mai faceți? for one person formally or for several people. The verb changes: faci is the informal singular form, while faceți is the formal/plural form. You do not need to add a word for “you,” because the verb ending already indicates the form of address.

Romanian	English	Register
Ce mai faci?	How are you? / How have you been?	Informal singular
Ce mai faceți?	How are you?	Formal singular or plural
Bine, mulțumesc.	Fine, thank you.	Any register
Foarte bine. Dar tu?	Very well. And you?	Informal singular
Bine. Dar dumneavoastră?	Fine. And you?	Formal singular or plural

Literally, ce mai faci? contains the verb a face, “to do,” but as a greeting it is closer to “How are you?” or “How are things?” than to the literal English question “What are you doing?” The short Ce faci? can serve as an informal greeting too, but context can also give it the literal meaning “What are you doing?”

Saying please and making a request

Romanian “please” changes according to whom you address:

• te rog — to one person informally
• vă rog — to one person formally or to more than one person

Here, te and vă are object pronouns (short words standing for the person affected by the action). The whole phrases literally involve “asking” or “requesting,” but learners should initially treat them as complete equivalents of “please.” They may come before or after the request.

• O cafea, vă rog. — A coffee, please.
• Ajută-mă, te rog. — Help me, please.
• Repetați, vă rog. — Please repeat.

Do not use te rog merely because English always uses the same word please. The Romanian choice expresses your relationship to the listener.

Thanking and responding

Mulțumesc is the standard “thank you” and works in both informal and formal situations. Add mult or foarte mult for stronger thanks. Mersi, borrowed through French, is common and informal, but mulțumesc is suitable everywhere.

Common responses include:

• Cu plăcere. — You’re welcome. / With pleasure.
• Pentru puțin. — You’re welcome. (literally, “for little”)
• N-ai pentru ce. — Don’t mention it. (informal)
• Nu aveți pentru ce. — Don’t mention it. (formal or plural)

Getting attention and apologizing

Several English uses of sorry and excuse me require different choices in Romanian:

Romanian	English	Use
Scuză-mă.	Excuse me. / Sorry.	Informal singular
Scuzați-mă.	Excuse me. / Sorry.	Formal singular or plural
Scuze!	Sorry!	Short, conversational apology
Îmi pare rău.	I’m sorry.	Sincere regret or sympathy
Pardon!	Pardon! / Excuse me!	Brief interruption or minor accidental contact

The shorter Scuzați! also occurs when politely attracting attention, as in Scuzați, puteți să mă ajutați? (“Excuse me, can you help me?”). Scuzați-mă is the fuller phrase and a dependable form for learners.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Bună ziua! Ce mai faceți?	Good day! How are you?	Polite greeting
Bună, Ana! Ce mai faci?	Hi, Ana! How are you?	Informal singular
Bună dimineața! O cafea, vă rog.	Good morning! A coffee, please.	Polite request
Mulțumesc foarte mult!	Thank you very much!	Strong thanks
Cu plăcere.	You’re welcome.	Standard response
Scuzați, puteți să mă ajutați?	Excuse me, can you help me?	Politely getting attention
Unde este gara, vă rog?	Where is the station, please?	Formal request
Dă-mi meniul, te rog.	Give me the menu, please.	Informal request
Scuze, am întârziat.	Sorry, I’m late.	Conversational apology
Îmi pare rău pentru greșeală.	I’m sorry about the mistake.	More sincere apology
Bună seara! Aveți o masă liberă?	Good evening! Do you have a free table?	Restaurant context
La revedere și mulțumesc!	Goodbye, and thank you!	Polite farewell
Pa! Ne vedem mâine.	Bye! See you tomorrow.	Informal farewell
Noapte bună!	Good night!	Parting for the night
Salut! Pe curând!	Bye! See you soon!	Informal closing

Common Mistakes

Using the informal “please” with a stranger

• Wrong: O cafea, te rog. (to a waiter you do not know)
• Right: O cafea, vă rog.
• Why: Te rog addresses one person informally. Vă rog is the normal polite choice with an unfamiliar adult and also works for several listeners.

Mixing an informal question with a formal situation

• Wrong: Bună ziua, doamnă Popescu! Ce mai faci?
• Right: Bună ziua, doamnă Popescu! Ce mai faceți?
• Why: The polite greeting and title call for the formal verb form faceți, unless the speakers have agreed to use informal address.

Using a greeting as a nighttime farewell

• Wrong: Bună seara! (when saying good night and leaving)
• Right: Noapte bună! or La revedere!
• Why: Bună seara normally greets someone in the evening. Noapte bună wishes them a good night when you part or go to bed.

Translating “What are you doing?” word for word in a greeting

• Misleading: Ce faci? always means “What are you doing?”
• Better understanding: Ce faci? can mean “How are you?” or “What are you doing?”, depending on context.
• Why: As a greeting, the expression is conventional. Ce mai faci? more clearly suggests “How are you?” or “How have you been?”

Using îmi pare rău for every tiny interruption

• Awkward: Îmi pare rău, unde este gara?
• Natural: Scuzați-mă, unde este gara?
• Why: Scuzați-mă attracts attention politely. Îmi pare rău expresses regret, sympathy, or an apology with more emotional weight.

Usage Notes

Romanian politeness is expressed through a combination of pronouns and verb forms. Dumneavoastră is the formal “you” for either one or several people, and verbs used with it take the plural form: Dumneavoastră ce mai faceți? In everyday speech, the pronoun is often unnecessary because faceți already signals formal or plural address.

Titles reinforce polite address: domnule means “sir” or “Mr.” when directly addressing someone, and doamnă means “madam,” “ma’am,” or “Mrs./Ms.” For example, Bună ziua, doamnă! is courteous in a service encounter. Using a title is optional in many situations; bună ziua and vă rog already establish a polite tone.

For informal farewells, pa is extremely common and corresponds to “bye.” Salut can mean either “hi” or “bye,” so its role comes from its position in the conversation. In more neutral or formal situations, choose la revedere.

Romanian normally writes the first word of these phrases with a capital letter only when it begins a sentence. The diacritics matter: write mulțumesc, scuză-mă, and vă rog, not multumesc, scuza-ma, and va rog. Text without diacritics is often understandable, but it is not the best model for accurate writing, and vă without its mark becomes va, a different word.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every nuance at A1, but you will soon notice that formality is not a rigid formula. Two adults may begin with dumneavoastră and later agree to use tu. Age, workplace culture, region, and personal preference all affect that transition. Until the other speaker uses informal language or invites it, staying with dumneavoastră, vă rog, and formal verb forms is prudent.

Greetings can also be expanded according to context. Bine ați venit! means “Welcome!” to one person formally or to several people; Bine ai venit! is informal singular. On the telephone, Alo? is the usual opening, not bună ziua by itself, although a caller may continue with Bună ziua, sunt… to identify themselves politely.

Apologies vary in strength. Scuze can cover a small bump, interruption, or casual admission of fault. Îmi pare rău carries more genuine regret and can also express sympathy after bad news. A fuller apology such as Vă rog să mă scuzați (“Please excuse me”) is more formal; it contains a verb form that beginners will study later. Recognize it now as a polite unit rather than trying to analyze every part.

You may also encounter sărut mâna, literally “I kiss your hand,” used as a respectful greeting or expression of thanks, especially toward women and often by younger speakers addressing older women. Its frequency and social feel vary, so it is useful to recognize but not essential as a universal beginner greeting. Neutral phrases such as bună ziua and mulțumesc travel more safely across contexts.

Practice Tips

1. Learn expressions in register pairs. Say Ce mai faci? / Ce mai faceți?, te rog / vă rog, and scuză-mă / scuzați-mă aloud. Imagine a friend for the first form and a stranger for the second.
2. Rehearse a thirty-second service encounter. Greet with bună ziua, order with vă rog, respond with mulțumesc, and leave with la revedere. This turns separate phrases into one usable routine.
3. Listen for the situation, not just the translation. When you hear salut, decide whether it opens or closes the exchange. When you hear ce faci?, use the context to decide whether it is a greeting or a literal question.

Related Concepts

• This is an independent foundation concept with no prerequisite or related concepts assigned in the current Romanian grammar path.
• Useful next areas to study are personal pronouns, present-tense verb forms, question formation, and formal versus informal address as they appear in the Romanian course.