Imagine you find yourself in Romania and meet a new friend you badly want to start a conversation with. After the normal Buna or Salut (Hello), the next thing you likely want to say is ‘how are you?’ or ‘how are you doing today?’. But no matter how much you try, you can’t find the right Romanian words to say it!
Well, that will not be you because you are about to learn the most common ways to say how are you in Romanian. When traveling to the country, it is great to know essential phrases that will make your stay enjoyable. To buttress it up, you should also know the basic greetings in case of a local walking up to you or when you are interested in starting a conversation.
So, are you ready? Let’s go!
How Do Romanians Greet?
Every culture has its set of etiquettes and its modes of greeting. The Indians greet with a bow, the Americans wave or hug, while some Africans prefer kneeling. But how do Romanians greet?
If you find yourself in Romania, a firm handshake with direct eye contact is the most common greeting. Whether you are greeting a teenager, an older adult, or a stranger, shaking their hands is a kind gesture. Depending on your relationship with the person, you can adopt any other kind of greeting. For example, you can hug your Romanian friends if you’ve known each other for a long time.
How Are You In Romanian: Informal and Formal Way!
Ce faci?
It will be boring if you still use the formal way of greetings your friends! Ce faci is the Romanian equivalent of What’s up? And it is one of the informal ways to ask if someone is okay. This ‘how are you’ variation is usually used amongst close friends. So, you’ve got to watch out if you use it for a total stranger.
Ce mai faci?
This literally means how are you but Ce mai faci is the more informal way of saying How are you, and this is usually used for friends and close pals. However, using ce mai faci for older adults or strangers may be pardoned, but it isn’t the best way to do it. Instead, you’d have to go for ce mai faceți.
Cum te simţi azi? – How are you today?
Another alternative way of asking how are you is Cum te simţi azi? It shows that you want to know how they are doing on that particular day and hour.
Cum ai fost? – How have you been?
Have you seen a friend for a long time? Then the best way to ensure they’ve been okay since the last time you saw them is to ask how they’ve been, and the best way to say that is Cum ai fost.
Other How Are You Related Greetings
| English | Romanian | Pronunciation |
| Are you alright? | Esti bine? | |
| What has been happening lately? | Ce s-a întâmplat în ultima vreme? | |
| How are things going? | Cum merg lucrurile? |
Ways To Reply In Romanian
Now, let’s look at the popular ways to reply if you are asked ‘how are you’ in Romania.
Bine
Bine, which means Fine or I am fine, is the most popular way to reply to a how are you question. It is a way to tell the person that you are doing fine, and most times, people expect you to say Bine, except for your close friends. So, if a stranger asks how you are, then a simple bine is okay. Alternatives to Bine is Sunt Bine, which means I am okay.
Nu sunt bine
Do you want the other person to know that you are not OK? Then what you can easily say is nu sunt bine. Saying this will make the other person ask more questions like Ce s-a întâmplat? which means what is wrong.
Sunt trist
Letting the person know you are sad is an alternative to saying you are not fine. Sunt trist means I am sad, which is a great way to express yourself.
Sunt bolnav
Are you sick? Oops! If you are feeling ill and your friend asks how are you, saying sunt bolnav, which means ‘I am sick,’ will be the best reply. Your friend can then decide whether you need to go to the hospital or whether you need anything else.
Other Ways To Reply
| English | Romanian | Pronunciation |
| I am happy | Sunt fericit | |
| Thank you | Mulțumesc | |
| Very well | Foarte bine | |
| Not bad | Nu-i rău | |
| I am great | Mă simt excelent |
Other Romanian Greetings You Should Know
Let’s take a quick look at other Romanian greetings that can help you kickstart conversations and get by in Romania.
There You Have It!
Woo-hoo! We’ve gone through the standard ways of asking how you are in Romanian and ways you can also reply. Now, you can quickly start conversations and make sure that your Romanian friends are doing okay. However, if you want to take your learning a bit further and know more about this romance language spoken in Romania, you should definitely check out the Ling App.
Learn Romanian With The Ling App!
You don’t have to worry about looking for courses online, depending on a Romanian dictionary, or taking a trial and error approach to learning Romanian. You can learn Romanian in the comfort of your home, while traveling, or anywhere in the world with the Ling App.
The Ling App also makes learning easy by integrating a reminder into its app that reminds you to remember daily. As long as you dedicate 10 minutes per day to learning Romania on the Ling App, you will become a fluent speaker in no time. And if you are unsure, take the free trial to find out what you’d get. The ling app comes in 60+ languages alongside Romanian.
So, if you plan to speak Romanian, improve your pronunciation, and become a fluent speaker, download the Ling App today to start learning!
