Language/Romanian/Vocabulary/Fruits

Romanian Vocabulary - Fruits

Hi Romanian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will explore the vocabulary related to fruits in the Romanian language, one of the Romance languages still spoken today. Romanian shares a lot of linguistic traits with the other Romance languages, such as French, Spanish or Italian, so if you are already familiar with one of these languages, learning Romanian can be easier than you expect. But fear not, even if you are a beginner, this lesson is designed to help you build your Romanian vocabulary and understand the grammar and pronunciation rules better. So, let's get started!

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Science and Technology & Useful Phrases.

Why learn Romanian vocabulary?

Vocabulary is the cornerstone of any language learning process. Without words, we cannot express our thoughts, feelings or ideas in a clear and concise way. Romanian vocabulary is especially interesting because it reflects the country's history, culture and geography. Romania is situated in the heart of Europe and has been surrounded by different cultures and civilizations throughout its history, from the Roman Empire to the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a result, the Romanian language has absorbed words and expressions from different languages, such as Latin, Turkish, Slavic, Hungarian, German or French. Moreover, Romanian is the only Romance language that has retained a significant number of Slavic loanwords, which makes it stand out among its Romance brothers and sisters. So, by learning Romanian vocabulary, you can not only improve your language skills but also expand your cultural and historical knowledge.

Fruits in Romanian

Now, let's focus on the main topic of this lesson: fruits in Romanian. Fruits are essential for our body and provide us with vital vitamins, minerals and fiber. In Romanian, as in any other language, there are specific words for each type of fruit, and they are pronounced differently depending on the accent and the dialect. In this lesson, we will use the standard Romanian pronunciation and the Latin alphabet to write the words. If you want to learn more about Romanian pronunciation, you can consult the Romanian Alphabet page on Wikipedia.

Here are some of the most common fruits in Romanian:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
măr	mər	apple
portocală	portoˈkala	orange
piersică	pjersikə	peach
banană	baˈnana	banana
strugure	struˈɡure	grape
lămâie	ləˈmɨe	lemon
căpșună	kəpʃuˈnə	strawberry
pepene	peˈpene	watermelon
cireșe	tʃiˈreʃe	cherries
prune	pruːne	plums

You can see that some words, such as "strugure" or "căpșună" may sound unfamiliar to English speakers, but they are still easy to learn with practice. Pay attention to the diacritic signs in the Romanian words, such as "ș" or "ă", as they can change the meaning and the pronunciation of the words.

Dialogues

To help you improve your Romanian vocabulary and use it in context, we will provide some sample dialogues, with the English translation and the pronunciation. Practice them with your language partners and see how much progress you can make!

Dialogue 1

• Person 1: Vreau să cumpăr niște mere. (I want to buy some apples.)
• Person 2: Câte kilograme de mere vrei? (How many kilograms of apples do you want?)
• Person 1: Vreau doi kilograme, te rog. (I want two kilograms, please.)
• Person 2: Bine, aici avem mere verzi și mere roșii. Care îți plac mai mult? (Fine, here we have green apples and red apples. Which ones do you like more?)
• Person 1: Îmi plac merele roșii mai mult. (I like red apples more.)

Dialogue 2

• Person 1: Mi-ai adus portocalele pe care ți le-am cerut? (Did you bring the oranges I asked you?)
• Person 2: Da, am adus două kilograme de portocale bio. (Yes, I brought two kilograms of organic oranges.)
• Person 1: Multumesc, îți fac o salată de fructe cu ele. (Thank you, I will make you a fruit salad with them.)
• Person 2: Sună bine, abia aștept să încerc salata ta. (Sounds good, I can't wait to try your salad.)

Curiosities about Romanian fruits

Did you know that Romania is one of the biggest producers of plums in Europe? The plum tree is a native species of the Carpathian Mountains and has been cultivated here since ancient times. Romanian plums are renowned for their taste and aroma, especially the "țuică", a traditional strong alcoholic drink made from plums. Plums are also used in many Romanian dishes, such as "sarmale" (stuffed cabbage rolls) or "magiun" (plum jam). Another interesting fact is that the first written record of the Cluj Napoca apples, a delicious variety of apples grown in the Transylvania region, dates back to the 18th century. Nowadays, the Cluj Napoca apples are protected by the EU and are recognized as a local specialty.

Practice makes perfect!

To improve your Romanian Vocabulary, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Moreover, you can join language exchange meetings, play language games or read articles and videos related to Romanian culture and language. The more you practice, the better you become!

Sources

• Essential Romanian Vocabulary About Fruit
• Fruit names in Romanian & English | Fruits in Romanian - Learn Entry
• Romanian lessons: Fruits

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