Find Your Romanian Tutor Online
Romanian is a Romance language with a Slavic twist — and the only major Romance language with grammatical cases. Find a specialist teacher who can use your existing language skills to accelerate your progress.
The Romance Language Advantage
Romanian shares its Latin roots with Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. If you already speak any Romance language, you have a significant head start.
| Feature | Examples | Learner Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Shared vocabulary with Spanish | casa (house), bun/bueno (good), timp/tiempo (time/weather) | 40–50% core vocabulary overlap — Spanish speakers recognise words immediately |
| Shared vocabulary with French | merci (thank you), voilà (here it is), bon/bun (good) | Romanian preserved many words from Old French and Latin that French later changed |
| Latin verb structure | a fi (to be), a avea (to have), a veni (to come) — all from Latin roots | Italian and Portuguese speakers find Romanian verb patterns intuitive |
| Slavic influence adds uniqueness | da (yes — from Slavic), iubi (to love — from Slavic), noapte (night — Latin) | Romanian's Slavic layer makes it distinctive even among Romance languages — an asset for learners interested in Eastern Europe |
Romanian's Unique Features
Definite Article Suffix
Unlike other Romance languages where 'the' comes before the noun (el/la/le), Romanian attaches the definite article to the end of the noun: om = man, omul = the man. Fată = girl, fata = the girl.
💡 This is one of Romanian's most distinctive features. Your teacher will introduce it early — it's logical once you see the pattern.
5 Grammatical Cases
Romanian retains 5 cases from Latin: Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, and Vocative. Genitive and Dative often share the same form in Romanian (unlike Latin), which simplifies learning.
💡 Romanian's case system is simpler than Czech or Russian. Most learners reach comfortable B1 without feeling overwhelmed by the cases.
Ș (sh) and Ț (ts) Letters
Romanian uses two cedilla letters unique among Romance languages: Ș (pronounced 'sh' as in 'shoe') and Ț (pronounced 'ts' as in 'cats'). Examples: școală (sh-KWAH-lah = school), țară (TSAH-rah = country).
💡 These are easy to pronounce — the sounds exist in English. The challenge is remembering which words use them in writing.
5 Criteria for Choosing Your Romanian Teacher
Romance Language Transfer Expertise
If you speak Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese, look for a teacher who can leverage your existing knowledge — accelerating vocabulary acquisition and identifying false friends (e.g., Roman in Romanian ≠ Roman/Roman Empire).
Script and Diacritics Teaching
Romanian uses Ș, Ț, Ă, Â, and Î — five letters with special characters. Verify your teacher teaches proper spelling from the start, not romanised or diacritic-free shortcuts.
Regional Variety Awareness
Standard Romanian (based on the Bucharest/Wallachian dialect) is taught everywhere. Moldovan Romanian has some differences. Transylvanian regional accents (Cluj, Brașov) are distinct. Ask your teacher about their regional background.
DRLR Exam Preparation
If you need the DRLR (Diploma de Competență Lingvistică în Limba Română) for Romanian citizenship or residency, confirm your teacher has experience with exam format and graded writing tasks.
Track Record at Your Level
Ask how the teacher handles the definite article suffix and case introduction for beginners. A clear, staged approach to these features separates a specialist Romanian teacher from a general language teacher.
Meet Our Romanian Teachers
Standard Romanian & Business Register
Transylvanian Romanian & Romance Language Transfer
Specialises in Spanish/French/Italian speaker acceleration
Heritage Romanian & Diaspora Reconnection
DRLR Romanian Proficiency Levels
The DRLR (Diploma de Competență Lingvistică în Limba Română) is the official Romanian proficiency certificate, required for citizenship and recognised by Romanian universities and institutions.
| CEFR | DRLR Cert. | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | — | Alphabet, basic greetings, numbers, simple phrases |
| A2 | — | Everyday conversations, present tense, definite articles |
| B1 | DRLR B1 | Work and study contexts, past tense, 3–4 cases in use |
| B2 | DRLR B2 | Formal writing, media comprehension, all cases |
| C1 | DRLR C1 | Professional and academic Romanian, complex grammar |
| C2 | DRLR C2 | Full mastery, literary and archaic registers |
Simple, Transparent Pricing
- ✓50 or 80 min lessons
- ✓Cases and articles track
- ✓Progress notes after each lesson
- ✓Reschedule up to 12h before
- ✓4+ lessons per week
- ✓Dedicated teacher
- ✓DRLR exam preparation track
- ✓Monthly progress review
Frequently Asked Questions
If I already speak Spanish, how quickly can I learn Romanian?
Significantly faster than starting from scratch. Romanian shares roughly 40–50% of core vocabulary with Spanish. A Spanish speaker can often read simple Romanian text immediately, relying on shared Latin roots. The main challenges are Romanian-specific grammar (definite suffix, case system, Slavic loanwords) and the Ș/Ț/Ă/Â letters. Spanish speakers often reach B1 in 250–400 hours versus 600+ for English-only speakers.
What is the definite article suffix in Romanian?
In Romanian, the definite article ('the') is attached to the end of the noun, not placed before it. For example: om (man) → omul (the man); casă (house) → casa (the house); fată (girl) → fata (the girl). The suffix varies by gender, case, and number. This is one of Romanian's most distinctive features among Romance languages and is typically introduced in the first few lessons.
What are the Ș and Ț letters in Romanian?
Ș is pronounced 'sh' (as in 'shoe') and Ț is pronounced 'ts' (as in 'cats'). They are distinct from similar-looking letters S and T. Examples: școală (shKWAH-lah = school), mașină (mah-SHEE-nah = car), țară (TSAH-rah = country), pițigoi (pee-tsee-GOY = tit, a type of bird). Both sounds exist in English, making them easy to pronounce — the main challenge is spelling them correctly.
What is the DRLR certificate?
DRLR (Diploma de Competență Lingvistică în Limba Română) is the official Romanian language proficiency certificate issued by Romanian government institutions. It is required for Romanian citizenship and long-term residency, and is recognised by Romanian universities. DRLR is available at B1, B2, C1, and C2 levels. Our teachers who prepare students for DRLR specify this on their profiles.
How long does it take to learn Romanian?
Romanian is classified Category I by the US FSI — approximately 600–750 class hours for professional proficiency, similar to Spanish or Italian. For English speakers with no Romance language background, conversational B1 typically takes 300–500 hours. For Spanish, French, or Italian speakers, the timeline is considerably shorter — often 150–250 hours to reach functional conversation.
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