Learning Romanian doesn’t have to mean grinding through grammar exercises. Here’s how to weave it into your day so naturally you’ll forget you’re 'studying'.
1. Label Everything (Yes, Even Your Cat)
Stick Post-its with Romanian words on household objects. Frigider on the fridge, pisică on the cat. Annoying? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.
2. Cook Like a Romanian Grandma
Find a recipe for sarmale (cabbage rolls) or mămăligă (polenta) and follow it in Romanian. Even if you burn dinner, you’ll learn kitchen vocab.
Sarmale
/sarˈma/“Cabbage rolls”
3. Hijack Your Playlist
Swap your usual music for Romanian artists like Irina Rimes or Carla's Dreams. Look up lyrics and sing along - terrible accent encouraged.
4. Social Media Detox (Romanian Edition)
Change your phone or browser language to Romanian. You’ll learn tech terms fast when you can’t find the 'settings' button.
5. The 'Bad Romanian' Game
Challenge yourself to describe your day out loud in broken Romanian. No grammar rules, just attempting to think in the language. For extra fun, check out how to fake a Romanian accent while you’re at it.
6. Steal Jokes from Romanians
Find a Romanian comedian or meme page. Translating humour forces you to grapple with idioms and slang - like why a da cu flit literally means 'to spray insecticide' but actually means 'to reject someone'. For more oddities, see the funniest Romanian idioms.
A da cu flit
/a da ku flit/“To reject someone”
7. Become a Subtitle Vigilante
Watch Netflix with Romanian subtitles. Even if you’re hearing English, your brain will start matching words. For extra credit, try dubbing - yes, even if it’s a terrible 90s action film.
8. Grocery Shopping in Your Head
Mentally narrate your supermarket trip: Am nevoie de lapte (I need milk), Unde sunt bananele? (Where are the bananas?). No one needs to know you’re talking to yourself.
9. The 'Romanian Only' Hour
Pick one hour a day where you only 'allow' yourself to think in Romanian. Start simple: Vreau cafea (I want coffee), E frig (It’s cold). Gradually increase complexity as you go.
10. Troll the Comment Sections
Find a Romanian forum or YouTube video and write a comment - even if it’s just Foarte interesant! (Very interesting!). Real people might reply, giving you actual conversation practice.
The key? Stop treating Romanian like a subject to be studied and start treating it like a tool to mess around with. You’ll learn faster, and honestly, it’s more fun this way.
