Lesson 1

Greetings in Romanian : useful words and common expressions to say “Hello” in style

Section 1 – Informal Greetings

When you need to have a conversation with a neighbor or a colleague during a coffee break, you can opt for these informal greetings.

Bună - Hello / Salut - Hi

“Bună” and “Salut” are the most popular greetings for informal situations. In general, they are followed by the person’s name:

• Bună, Maria. Ce faci?- Hello, Maria. How are you?
• Salut, Monica. Îmi pare bine de cunoștință!- Hi, Monica. Nice to meet you!

Ce faci?- How are you?

This is a casual way of asking “How are you?” People prefer to ask one of these questions after the main greeting. It is followed by a positive answer.

• Bună, Maria! Ce faci?- Hello, Maria. How are you?
• Bine, mulțumesc. Și tu?- Good, thanks. And you?

Mă bucur să te văd- Nice to see you / Great to see you

This common phrase is used to greet an old friend or begin a conversation with a person you have not seen for a very long time. This expression is often followed by questions like “How are you?” or “What’s new?” Ce este nou?

• Bună, John! Mă bucur să te văd! Ce faci?- Hello, John! It’s great to see you! How are you?
• Sunt bine! Ce este nou?- I’m fine, thanks! What’s new?

Section 2 – Formal Greetings

When you are meeting someone under formal circumstances such as in a business meeting or meeting an important person for the first time, you have to use some of these formal greetings.

Bună dimineața -Good Morning | Bună ziua- Good afternoon | Bună seara- Good evening

The greetings change but it depends on the time of the day.

• “Good morning” is generally used from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• “Good afternoon” is appropriate for a period from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• “Good evening” is often used after 6 p.m.

To show your respect, you can also add the person’s last name to your greeting:

• Bună dimineața, domnule Popescu- Good morning, Mr. Popescu
• Bună ziua, doamna Popescu- Good afternoon, Ms. Popescu
• Bună dimineața, Maria- Good morning, Maria
• Bună seara, Monica- Good evening, Monica

Ce faceți, dumneavoastră?- How are you?

When you meet someone for the first time you will most probably use the formal ‘Dumneavoastră’ when addressing them. We are using this form “Dumneavoastră” quite a lot in formal situations. For instance when talking with people you respect or in a formal workplace environment. So if you are finding yourself in a situation of speaking Romanian and you are not sure about the polite form, you can use directly the form “tu”, it is more common and don’t be concerned, this will not be a mistake.

• Bună ziua, Maria! Ce faceți?- Good afternoon, Maria. How are you?
• Bine, mulțumesc. Și dumneavoastră?- Good, thank you. And you?

Mă bucur să vă văd- Nice to see you / Great to see you

• Bună dimineața! Mă bucur să vă văd!- Ce faceți? Good morning, John! It’s great to see you!
• Sunt bine! Ce este nou?- I’m fine, thank you! What’s new?

Îmi pare bine de cunoștință- Nice to meet you

Încântată de cunoștință ( feminine form ) -Pleased to meet you Încântat de cunoștință ( masculine form ) -Pleased to meet you

These are respectful greetings and you can use them when you want to reply to someone you meet for the very first time.

• Bună dimineața. Eu sunt Maria Popescu de la Ambasada Română- Good morning. I’m Maria Popescu from Romanian Embassy.
• Îmi pare bine de cunoștință- Nice to meet you.