Transportation in Romanian

In Brief

To say how you travel, Romanian normally uses cu plus a transport noun with the definite article attached: cu autobuzul (“by bus”), cu trenul (“by train”), and cu mașina (“by car”). Combine this phrase with a motion verb: Merg cu autobuzul means “I go by bus,” while Vin cu mașina means “I come by car.” Walking is the important exception: pe jos, not cu.

Overview

Transportation language is useful from your first days of Romanian. You need it to explain a commute, buy a ticket, understand a departure board, or ask how to reach a place. At A1, the essential pattern is simple: choose a motion verb such as a merge (“to go”) and add cu + means of transport.

Romanian differs from English in two visible ways. First, English uses “by” in by train, but Romanian uses cu, whose basic meaning is “with.” Second, the Romanian noun is usually definite. A definite article is the equivalent of English “the”; in Romanian it is normally attached to the end of the noun. That is why autobuz becomes autobuzul in cu autobuzul. Do not translate the Romanian phrase word for word as “with the bus”: its natural English meaning is “by bus.”

This topic builds on Basic Prepositions. It also introduces a practical distinction between saying how you travel, naming the vehicle you take, and stating where you are going.

How It Works

Core transport words

Romanian nouns have grammatical gender, a word class that affects articles and other words around the noun. You do not need to master the full gender system to use these expressions, but learn each transport word together with the form used after cu.

Basic noun	Meaning	Definite form	“By …” phrase
autobuz	bus	autobuzul	cu autobuzul
tren	train	trenul	cu trenul
avion	plane	avionul	cu avionul
metrou	metro, subway	metroul	cu metroul
tramvai	tram	tramvaiul	cu tramvaiul
taxi	taxi	taxiul	cu taxiul
mașină	car	mașina	cu mașina
bicicletă	bicycle	bicicleta	cu bicicleta
motocicletă	motorcycle	motocicleta	cu motocicleta

For many masculine or neuter nouns here, the definite ending is -ul: tren → trenul. Some spelling adjustments keep pronunciation natural: metrou → metroul and taxi → taxiul. Feminine nouns ending in -ă commonly change that ending to -a: mașină → mașina. At this stage, treating the complete phrases as vocabulary chunks is more reliable than trying to construct every article ending from memory.

Saying how you travel: cu + definite noun

The beginner pattern is:

motion verb + cu + transport noun with its definite article

• Merg cu trenul. — I go/travel by train.
• Venim cu mașina. — We come by car.
• Ei călătoresc cu avionul. — They travel by plane.

The preposition cu itself does not merge with the article. It remains a separate word: cu autobuzul, not one combined form. The article is attached to the noun.

English normally has no article after “by”: “by train,” not “by the train.” Romanian follows its own pattern, so do not omit the Romanian article. The phrase cu un autobuz is possible, but it means “on/by a bus” when the bus is presented as one particular or unspecified vehicle. It is not the neutral way to name your usual means of travel.

Walking: pe jos

To say “on foot” or “walking,” use the fixed expression pe jos:

• Merg pe jos la serviciu. — I walk to work.
• Putem merge pe jos. — We can go on foot.

Although a merge broadly means “to go,” a merge pe jos specifically means “to walk.” Romanian also has a se plimba for taking a walk or strolling, but that is not the normal expression for naming walking as transport.

Useful motion and travel verbs

An infinitive is the dictionary form of a verb, shown in Romanian with a. The form used in a sentence changes according to who performs the action.

Infinitive	Meaning	Useful example
a merge	to go; to travel	Merg cu metroul. — I go by metro.
a veni	to come	Vine cu trenul. — He/She comes by train.
a pleca	to leave, depart	Autobuzul pleacă. — The bus leaves.
a ajunge	to arrive; reach	Trenul ajunge la Cluj. — The train arrives in Cluj.
a călători	to travel	Călătorim cu avionul. — We travel by plane.
a lua	to take	Iau autobuzul. — I take the bus.
a urca	to get on, board; go up	Urc în tren. — I get on the train.
a coborî	to get off; go down	Cobor din autobuz. — I get off the bus.
a decola	to take off	Avionul decolează. — The plane takes off.
a ateriza	to land	Avionul aterizează la București. — The plane lands in Bucharest.

Pay particular attention to the difference between a merge and a lua. With a merge, the transport phrase uses cu: Merg cu autobuzul. With a lua, the vehicle is the direct object (the person or thing directly affected by the action), so there is no cu: Iau autobuzul. Compare natural English “I go by bus” and “I take the bus.”

Destinations, directions, and origins

A transport phrase answers “How?” A destination phrase answers “Where to?” You can use both in one sentence.

Purpose	Common pattern	Example
means	cu + vehicle	cu trenul — by train
destination	la + city/place	la București — to/in Bucharest
destination	în + country/enclosed place	în România — to/in Romania
direction	spre + place	spre centru — toward the city centre
origin	din + place	din Brașov — from Brașov

Thus, Merg la București cu trenul means “I’m going to Bucharest by train.” Romanian word order is flexible, and Merg cu trenul la București is also grammatical. The first version puts the destination before the means; the second brings the means of transport into focus.

For boarding and getting off, beginners can remember this useful pair:

• a urca în + vehicle: Urc în autobuz. — I get on the bus.
• a coborî din + vehicle: Cobor din tren. — I get off the train.

Times and travel questions

Use la ora + number for a scheduled time:

• Trenul pleacă la ora trei. — The train leaves at three o’clock.
• Avionul ajunge la ora nouă. — The plane arrives at nine o’clock.

In ordinary speech, ora may be omitted when the context is clear: Trenul pleacă la trei. To ask about transport, these patterns are especially useful:

• Cum mergi la serviciu? — How do you get to work?
• Cu ce mergem? — What are we going by?
• La ce oră pleacă trenul? — What time does the train leave?
• Unde cobor? — Where do I get off?

In Cu ce mergem?, ce means “what”; the phrase literally asks “With what do we go?” but “What are we going by?” is natural English.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Merg cu autobuzul în fiecare dimineață.	I go by bus every morning.	Neutral habitual transport
Trenul pleacă la ora trei.	The train leaves at three o’clock.	Scheduled departure
Vin cu mașina.	I’m coming by car.	a veni + means
Avionul aterizează la București.	The plane lands in Bucharest.	Arrival in a city
Noi mergem cu metroul până în centru.	We go by metro as far as the city centre.	până marks the endpoint
Ea călătorește cu avionul.	She travels by plane.	General travel verb
Eu merg pe jos la școală.	I walk to school.	Walking exception
Iau tramvaiul până la gară.	I take the tram to the station.	No cu after a lua
Urcăm în tren la Brașov.	We get on the train in Brașov.	Boarding with în
Cobor din autobuz la următoarea stație.	I get off the bus at the next stop.	Leaving a vehicle with din
Autobuzul ajunge la gară la zece.	The bus arrives at the station at ten.	Place and time both use la
Cu ce mergi la aeroport?	How are you getting to the airport?	Literally “With what do you go?”
Mergem spre Cluj cu mașina.	We are heading toward Cluj by car.	Direction with spre
Taxiul este în fața hotelului.	The taxi is in front of the hotel.	A location, not a means phrase

Common Mistakes

Using de as a direct copy of English “by”

• Wrong: Merg de tren.
• Right: Merg cu trenul.
• Why: Means of transport is normally expressed with cu, not by translating the English preposition mechanically.

Leaving off the definite article

• Wrong: Vin cu mașină.
• Right: Vin cu mașina.
• Why: In the neutral means-of-transport expression, Romanian normally uses the definite form. Learn cu mașina as a whole phrase.

Adding cu after a lua

• Wrong: Iau cu autobuzul.
• Right: Iau autobuzul.
• Why: A lua means “to take,” and the bus is its direct object. Use cu autobuzul with verbs such as a merge, a veni, and a călători.

Saying cu piciorul for ordinary “on foot”

• Wrong: Merg cu piciorul la magazin.
• Right: Merg pe jos la magazin.
• Why: Pe jos is the standard fixed expression for travelling on foot. Picior means “foot” or “leg,” but English structure does not transfer here.

Confusing boarding with travelling

• Wrong: Urc cu autobuzul. when you mean “I get on the bus.”
• Right: Urc în autobuz.
• Why: Cu autobuzul names the means of travel. Boarding is movement into the vehicle, so use în. In another context, urc cu autobuzul can mean “I go up by bus,” which is a different idea.

Using a merge for every stage of a journey

• Less precise: Trenul merge la ora trei.
• Better: Trenul pleacă la ora trei.
• Why: Merge says that the train goes or runs; pleacă specifically states its departure. For arrival use ajunge, and for a plane landing use aterizează.

Usage Notes

A merge can mean “go” or “walk”

English speakers sometimes assume merg always means “I walk.” By itself, it usually means “I go” and does not specify the transport: Merg la birou is “I’m going to the office.” Add pe jos to make walking explicit, or cu mașina to name a vehicle.

Everyday speech often chooses a more specific verb

A călători is the general verb “to travel,” but for a normal commute Romanians commonly say merg cu… or name the vehicle with iau…. A sentence such as Călătoresc cu metroul la serviciu în fiecare zi is understandable, but Merg cu metroul la serviciu în fiecare zi sounds more ordinary.

Public transport vocabulary

Useful place words include stație (“stop” or “station” for buses, trams, and metro), gară (“railway station”), and aeroport (“airport”). Romanian normally says la gară, la stație, and la aeroport. A ticket is un bilet: Un bilet până la Brașov, vă rog means “A ticket to Brașov, please.”

The noun taxi takes the attached definite form taxiul. As with the other transport words, it is useful to memorize the complete phrase cu taxiul.

Beyond the Basics: More Precise Travel Language

You do not need to master the details in this section at A1, but you will meet them in real conversations.

Definite and indefinite vehicles change the meaning

The definite phrase usually presents transport as a type or established means:

• Merg la Iași cu trenul. — I’m going to Iași by train.

An indefinite form introduces one vehicle among others or adds descriptive information:

• Am venit cu un tren foarte aglomerat. — I came on a very crowded train.

Here un tren is appropriate because the speaker is talking about a particular train and describing it. The basic travel formula and this more literal “with/on a train” use overlap, so context determines the best English translation.

Cu may mean company, instrument, or means

The same preposition appears in several relationships:

• Merg cu Ana. — I’m going with Ana. (company)
• Scriu cu un pix. — I write with a pen. (instrument)
• Merg cu trenul. — I go by train. (means of transport)

The noun after cu and the wider situation make the meaning clear. This is why translating every cu as either “with” or “by” produces mistakes.

Choosing between la, în, and spre

With cities and many destinations, la is the safe everyday choice: merg la Cluj, ajung la aeroport. Countries generally use în: merg în România. Spre means “toward” and does not guarantee arrival: Trenul merge spre București says that the train is heading toward Bucharest.

Romanian can also distinguish a destination from movement inside a place. Merg în București may emphasize going into or moving within Bucharest, while merg la București is the usual broad statement that Bucharest is the destination. These choices become easier through exposure; beginners can start with la + city.

Motion prefixes and aspect of the journey

Romanian travel language often divides a journey into stages: plec (“I leave”), merg (“I go”), ajung (“I arrive/reach”), urc (“I board”), and cobor (“I get off”). English may use the broad verb “go” in several of these situations, but choosing the stage-specific Romanian verb makes instructions and travel plans much clearer.

Practice Tips

1. Learn phrases, not isolated nouns. Make pairs such as tren — cu trenul, mașină — cu mașina, and metrou — cu metroul. Say each pair aloud so the attached article becomes automatic.
2. Build one journey in stages. Describe a real commute with four short sentences: Plec la opt. Iau autobuzul. Cobor la centru. Ajung la serviciu la nouă. Then change the vehicle and times.
3. Ask and answer the same three questions. Practise Unde mergi?, Cu ce mergi?, and La ce oră pleci? This keeps destination, means, and time separate while training useful conversation patterns.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Prepositions — introduces cu, la, în, din, and spre, which organize transport phrases and routes.