Citizenship Romanian Language Exam flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Definite article suffix

Romanian marks definiteness by adding an article to the end of the noun: băiat → băiatul, fată → fata, om → omul, scaun → scaunul. The indefinite article un/o comes before the noun.

Neuter noun pattern

Neuter nouns take a masculine-looking singular (un scaun) but a feminine-looking plural (două scaune). Examples: tren/trenuri, lucru/lucruri, oraș/orașe. Gender is shown by the plural form.

Perfect compus formation

The compound past uses the auxiliary a avea in the short form (am, ai, a, am, ați, au) plus the past participle: am mers, ai văzut, a scris, am citit. It is the default spoken past tense.

Subjunctive with să

After verbs like a vrea, a putea, a trebui, use să plus a personal verb form: vreau să merg, poți să vii, trebuie să plece. The să form is identical to the indicative except in the third person.

Accusative clitic pronouns

Direct-object pronouns are mă, te, îl, o, ne, vă, îi, le and precede the verb: Te văd, O cunosc, Îi aștept. They contract with perfect compus: m-a văzut, te-am sunat.

Dative clitic pronouns

Indirect-object pronouns are îmi, îți, îi, ne, vă, le and precede the verb: Îmi place, Îi spun, Le dau. They answer 'cui?' and often appear with verbs of giving, telling, and liking.

Double negation rule

Romanian requires double negation: Nu văd nimic (I see nothing), Nu vine nimeni (Nobody comes), Nu merg niciodată (I never go). The negative nu must accompany nimic, nimeni, niciodată, niciun.

Πversus  spelling

Use î at the beginning and end of words (în, început, a coborî) and â in the middle (cânt, pâine, mâna). The 1993 spelling reform restored this rule; ș and ț use comma below.

Formal letter opening

A formal Romanian letter or email begins with Stimate domn / Stimată doamnă or Stimați domni, followed by a comma. The body uses dumneavoastră and the closing is Cu stimă or Cu deosebită considerație.

Informal message closing

An informal note opens with Dragă + name (Dragă Ana) and closes with Cu drag, Pe curând, or Te îmbrățișez, followed by the first name only. Register stays colloquial and uses tu.

Comma with direct address

Romanian sets off direct address with commas: Domnule profesor, vă rog să mă ascultați. Vă rog, doamnă, să completați formularul. Omitting the comma is a punctuation error in the writing task.

Formal register markers

Formal Romanian uses dumneavoastră, the polite third-person verb (Ce faceți?), and avoids slang such as mișto, super, nasol. Titles: domn, doamnă, domnișoară; closing: Cu stimă.

Opinion essay structure

State the position in the introduction (După părerea mea…), develop two or three arguments each in its own paragraph with pentru că or deoarece, and restate the position in the conclusion (În concluzie…).

Narrative past consistency

In a story, keep the past tense consistent: use perfect compus for completed events (am mers, am văzut) and imperfect for background or repeated action (mergeam, vedeam). Do not switch to present without reason.

Self-introduction formula

Mă numesc…, am … ani, sunt din…, locuiesc în…, lucrez ca…, îmi place să…. This sequence covers name, age, origin, residence, occupation, and interests in a natural speaking-test opening.

Picture description order

Describe a picture from general to specific: În imagine se vede…, then location (în stânga, în dreapta, în centru, în fundal, în prim-plan), then action in present tense (un bărbat citește).

Polite pronoun dumneavoastră

Dumneavoastră is the formal 'you' and takes third-person plural verbs: Ce faceți dumneavoastră? It is used with strangers, officials, and elders; tu is for friends, family, and peers.

Gender agreement in speech

Adjectives and past participles agree with the speaker's gender: Sunt obosit (male) vs Sunt obosită (female); Am fost mulțumit/mulțumită. The speaking test expects correct self-agreement.

Romanian hesitation fillers

Use Romanian fillers when thinking: deci, adică, cum să spun, să vedem, păi. Avoid English 'um' or 'like', which signal a switch out of Romanian and lower fluency scores.

Role-play follow-up question

In a speaking role-play, ask at least one question back to keep the interaction going: Și dumneavoastră ce părere aveți? / Doriți să aflați mai multe? This demonstrates interactive competence.

Numbers 11 to 19

Teens are unsprezece (11), doisprezece (12), treisprezece (13), paisprezece (14), cincisprezece (15), șaisprezece (16), șaptesprezece (17), optsprezece (18), nouăsprezece (19). Tens: douăzeci, treizeci, patruzeci.

Listening for corrections

Speakers often correct themselves: nu 15, ci 50; adică mâine, nu azi. The final, corrected figure or detail is the answer; earlier numbers are distractors.

Discourse markers in audio

Key markers organize listening passages: deci and așadar (therefore), însă and totuși (however), de exemplu (for example), pe de o parte / pe de altă parte (on one hand / on the other). They flag the main point.

Paraphrase cue words

When a word is unknown, the next clause often explains it: adică, altfel spus, cu alte cuvinte, mai exact. These cues restate the idea in simpler terms and rescue comprehension.

Months and dates

Months: ianuarie, februarie, martie, aprilie, mai, iunie, iulie, august, septembrie, octombrie, noiembrie, decembrie. Dates use pe + day + month: pe trei mai (May 3), pe întâi ianuarie.

Skimming for topic sentences

Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph first; Romanian expository texts usually place the topic sentence there. This gives the main idea before detailed questions.

Contrast markers in reading

Markers such as nu, nici, ci, însă, totuși, ci dimpotrivă reverse or limit meaning. A question asking what the author thinks often hinges on the clause after însă.

Fact versus opinion

Opinion markers in Romanian: cred că, probabil, pare să, ar trebui, după părerea mea. Factual statements use verifiable verbs and dates; exam items ask you to classify or locate them.

Main idea versus detail

A main-idea option must cover the whole passage; a true statement about one paragraph is a detail distractor. Check whether the option summarizes the topic sentence of every paragraph.

National day of Romania

Ziua Națională is 1 December, marking the 1918 union of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș with Romania. It is a public holiday with military parades in Bucharest and Alba Iulia.

Romania in NATO and EU

Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union on 1 January 2007. Its currency remains the leu (RON); euro adoption has no fixed date. Bucharest is the capital and largest city.

Romanian civic institutions

The Constitution (1991, revised 2003) establishes a democratic state. The President serves five years; Parliament has the Chamber of Deputies and Senate; the Avocatul Poporului (Ombudsman) protects citizens' rights.

Romanian cultural figures

Mihai Eminescu is the national poet (Luceafărul), Ion Luca Caragiale wrote comic plays (O scrisoare pierdută), Constantin Brâncuși is a modernist sculptor, and George Enescu composed the Romanian Rhapsodies.