Citizenship Romanian Language Exam cheat sheet

Skim the passage first: identify the topic sentence of each paragraph, usually the first or last sentence.

Questions follow passage order; the answer to question 2 is rarely before the answer to question 1.

Watch for negation and contrast markers: nu, nici, ci, însă, totuși, ci dimpotrivă - they reverse meaning.

Distinguish fact from opinion: opinion markers include cred că, probabil, pare să, ar trebui.

For vocabulary-in-context items, substitute each option into the sentence and check grammatical and logical fit.

Main-idea answers must cover the whole passage; an option that is true but only about one paragraph is a distractor.

Romanian uses double negation: Nu am văzut nimic means 'I saw nothing', not 'I didn't see nothing'.

Time markers: acum, în prezent, în trecut, în viitor, de curând - they locate events on the timeline.

Before audio starts, read the answer options to predict the topic and the type of information needed (number, place, reason).

Numbers are frequent distractors: listen for the corrected or final figure (e.g., 'nu 15, ci 50').

Romanian numbers 11–19 are built as unsprezece, doisprezece, treisprezece … nouăsprezece; 20+ as douăzeci, treizeci.

Dates: 'pe trei mai' = on May 3; months are ianuarie, februarie, martie, aprilie, mai, iunie, iulie, august, septembrie, octombrie, noiembrie, decembrie.

Politeness formulas signal register: dumneavoastră (formal you), tu (informal); the answer choice must match the register used.

Listen for discourse markers: deci (therefore), așadar (so), însă (however), de exemplu (for example) - they introduce the key point.

If a word is unknown, keep listening: the next clause often paraphrases it (adică, altfel spus, cu alte cuvinte).

Formal letter/email structure: formula de adresare (Stimate domn / Stimată doamnă), body, formula de încheiere (Cu stimă / Cu deosebită considerație), signature.

Informal message structure: dragă / dragă + name, body, closing (Cu drag / Pe curând), first name only.

Romanian uses comma before and after direct address: 'Domnule profesor, vă rog…' and 'Vă rog, domnule, să…'.

Paragraphing: one idea per paragraph; introduction states purpose, body develops 2–3 arguments, conclusion restates position.

Diacritics are graded: ă, â, î, ș, ț must be used correctly (ș and ț with comma below, not cedilla).

Verb tense consistency: narrative past uses perfect compus (am mers, ai văzut) or imperfect (mergeam, vedeam) consistently.

Formal register avoids colloquialisms (super, mișto, nasol) and uses dumneavoastră, not tu.

Word count: aim for 10% above the minimum; examiners penalize both under-length and irrelevant padding.

Self-introduction formula: Mă numesc…, am… ani, sunt din…, locuiesc în…, lucrez ca…, îmi place să….

Formal address requires the polite pronoun dumneavoastră and third-person verb: 'Ce faceți dumneavoastră?' not 'Ce faci tu?'.

Romanian has no grammatical gender-neutral pronoun; use el/ea and agree adjectives: 'Sunt obosit' (m.) vs 'Sunt obosită' (f.).

For picture description: locate (în stânga, în dreapta, în centru, în fundal, în prim-plan), then describe action with present tense.

Opinion formula: După părerea mea… / Cred că… / Consider că… + reason (pentru că / deoarece).

Fill hesitation with Romanian fillers: deci, adică, cum să spun, să vedem - not English 'um' or 'like'.

Role-play: ask back at least one question to show interaction (Și dumneavoastră? / Ce părere aveți?).

Pronunciation traps: final -i after consonant is often voiceless (lupi = 'lup'), and î vs â depends on position (î at word edges, â inside).

Definite article is a suffix: băiat → băiatul, fată → fata, om → omul; indefinite article is un/o placed before the noun.

Noun gender: masculine (un băiat), feminine (o fată), neuter (un scaun / două scaune) - neuter takes masculine singular and feminine plural.

Plural endings: -i (băieți), -e (flori), -uri (scaune), -le (stele), with vowel and consonant shifts (masă → mese, carte → cărți).

Present tense of a fi: sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt; of a avea: am, ai, are, avem, aveți, au.

Perfect compus = auxiliary a avea (am, ai, a, am, ați, au) + past participle: am mers, ai văzut, a scris.

Accusative clitic pronouns: mă, te, îl, o, ne, vă, îi, le; dative: îmi, îți, îi, ne, vă, le - placed before the verb.

Subjunctive after a vrea, a putea, a trebui uses să + personal form: vreau să merg, pot să vin, trebuie să plece.

False friends: a citi = to read (not 'to cite'), librărie = bookshop (not 'library'), a realiza = to accomplish/realize depending on context.

Romania's national day is 1 December (Ziua Națională), commemorating the 1918 union of Transylvania with Romania.

The 1991 Constitution, revised in 2003, defines Romania as a democratic and social state; sovereignty belongs to the people.

Voting is universal from age 18; the President is elected for a 5-year term, and Parliament consists of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union on 1 January 2007; it uses the leu (RON), not the euro.

Local administration: 41 counties (județe) plus the capital Bucharest; the prefect represents the government in each county.

Key cultural figures: Mihai Eminescu (poet), Ion Luca Caragiale (playwright), Constantin Brâncuși (sculptor), George Enescu (composer).

Traditional customs: Mărțișor on 1 March, Paștele (Easter) with painted eggs, and colinde (carols) at Christmas.

Civic duties include respecting the law, paying taxes, and knowing that the Ombudsman (Avocatul Poporului) protects citizens' rights.