Why even try to learn Romanian with only over 30 million speakers? A language that most people you know haven’t heard of and not taught often or in many places?
You’re probably not entirely wrong.
Most people prefer dominant languages such as French, German, or Spanish, or more ambitious options like Chinese, Japanese, or Korean when choosing a language.
Popularity metrics often constrain us.
At first, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would think they needed to learn Romanian. That is why I delayed this topic until now.
But there are many obvious benefits of studying a language like Romanian. The advantages thereof far outweigh the fear you might be having.
As a linguaphile, I firmly believe that everybody should learn another foreign tongue, even if it is one of the least spoken languages.
That is why I started this blog.
There are numerous reasons why learning Romanian is an excellent choice.
Here are some clear benefits of acquiring a more distinctive asset, namely the Romanian language.
Table of Contents
Where is the Romanian language spoken?
Romanian is the native language of nearly 30 million people worldwide.
Furthermore, roughly 4 million people worldwide speak Romanian as a second or third language. It is also one of the official languages of the European Union and the Latin Union.
It is the national language of Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and the Vojvodina province in Serbia, where most of the population speaks it.
Additionally, it is a minority language in two nations: Hungary and Ukraine.
You can also find significant numbers of Romanian immigrants in many countries, including Germany, the UK, Russia, Italy, Spain, Canada, the USA, and more.
5 Great Benefits of Learning Romanian
When you devote the time and energy required to become fluent in Romanian, you must be passionate about it or have compelling reasons.
Need more motivation and inspiration to learn Romanian?
You’ve come to the right place.
Here are my five best reasons to consider Romanian for your discovery journey.
1. A gateway to other Romance languages
Many consider Romanian part of the Slavic language family because Romania is in Eastern Europe. But that’s a language myth.
It is a Latin-derived Balkan Romance language (Daco-Romance) within the Indo-European family.
Of course, there are some non-Latin elements of the Romanian language, too.
For instance, many Greek and Slavic words are present in modern Romanian, but the language is fundamentally Latin.
All Romance languages originated from colloquial Latin.
Hence, learning Romanian has a cascading effect when you know other Romance languages such as Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and French.
Knowing Romanian can help you quickly understand Italian varieties, since Italian is perhaps the closest relative.
On the contrary, spoken Portuguese and French may be challenging. It also has some Turkish and Slavic Influences.
Romanian’s mutual intelligibility with other Romance languages is not as high as that of Scandinavian languages, but it is still impressive.
2. For the Love of Music
Who doesn’t enjoy listening to euphonious music?
Want to know what Inna and Alexandra Stan are saying when they sing in Romanian?
The songs are so melodic and catchy that you’ll want to get up and dance.
Although the lyrics may not be immediately understandable, they offer valuable insights into the country, its culture, and its customs.
Romania has popular rock, hip-hop, techno, and pop artists, including Iris, Transsylvania Phoenix, and Compact.
These are some examples from the past, but Romania still produces plenty of highly original musicians.
Would you like to see some examples?
Check out two videos to get an idea — One and Two.
Music festivals are held each year in Romania. As a result, the people here are more art and music lovers than those in many other European nations.
3. Make your traveling more enjoyable
Romania, a fish-shaped country, is a stunning destination with a wide variety of lively cities, such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Craiova, Galați, Iași, and Timișoara; medieval castles; calm countryside; majestic hills; lush forests; and natural landscapes.
There are seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in Romania.
Romanian society is a blend of new and old cultures and innovations. People with different Turkish, Slavic, and French traits create a beautiful, vibrant life.
No surprise, the people of Romania are fun-loving and open-hearted.
The zest of life is at its peak in Romanian art, with fine epitomes of such painting and sheer poetry. This openly states that life is the most extraordinary gift of God. The world is as artistic as it is.
You don’t need to break the bank if you’re considering a visit to Romania or Moldova.
Unlike some famous and expensive European destinations, traveling in Romania is quite affordable. Thus, the country provides outstanding value for money.
You can enjoy one of the best experiences on a reasonable budget.
By speaking Romanian, you can easily manage with even less!
While you can travel without speaking a single word of Romanian, knowing the language makes the journey more meaningful and productive.
You will enjoy the fullest, earn appreciation, and open the door to genuine interaction.
4. Career Options After Learning Romanian
With globalization at its peak, it has become essential to know a foreign language.
One of the special privileges of learning a less-taught language is that it opens up a whole new world.
You may not need to learn Romanian anytime soon for your current employment.
However, you can’t negate that a less familiar tongue can add tremendous value to your C.V.
Most highly paid translator and interpreter jobs involve these languages.
If you have a language job or plan to pursue one that requires you to communicate in Romanian, learning it will add value to your resume.
Romania has many thriving industries, including aircraft, automobiles, petrochemicals, textiles, infrastructure, tourism, food, mining, consumer durables, metal, and defense.
In recent years, the number of Indian pharmaceutical and IT companies moving into Romania has surged.
Like Wipro, Genpact, Prodigy, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Prime Healthcare, Sunwave Pharma, and Sun Pharma, UCO Raymonds has a significant presence in Romania.
Romanian is less widely spoken, resulting in less competition for new positions.
As such, your chances of becoming the “anointed one” for the assignment are almost, if not a guarantee.
Language Learning takes time. With a less widely spoken language up your sleeve, you will be ready when the opportunity comes — and inevitably, it will be one day.
The only question is when!
5. Romanian isn’t a difficult language
If you know any Romance languages, you will be at an immense advantage if you ever plan to learn Romanian.
It will be much easier because they all evolved from the same Vulgar Latin root and still share many characteristics, including grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.
There are fewer pronunciation rules than in other European languages, such as German and French.
Romanian, being a phonetic language, is easy to read or speak.
You can pronounce nearly all the words with a small effort once you learn the alphabet or some words.
You would never be concerned about language complexity.
There are thousands of cognates, such as Italian words that sound identical and have nearly identical meanings.
To sum up, it is a simple language to learn.
But as with everything, there are downsides as well.
Becoming fluent in Romanian will be a long journey with many challenges.
Like Russian, Polish, and German, it has complex grammatical cases that are notoriously confusing.
It has five cases: Nominative, Accusative, Generative, Vocative, and Dative.
Like any language, Romanian also has many regional dialects; four are common.
It is then further divided into several subdialects that differ in accents, intonation, diction, and slang.
Despite all the obstacles, you can have a meaningful conversation within a few months.
Romanian Learning Resources
Because there are only a few speakers, you may not have enough opportunities to practice with native Romanian speakers.
Plus, very few people attempt to learn Romanian.
As a result, you may find it hard to find suitable language-learning materials at the start of your journey.
While you will undoubtedly face difficulties as you learn this long-forgotten Romance language, I can assure you it’s worth it.
The best way to learn a language is through a teacher or a regular course.
If you prefer to learn to use printed materials, you can try some books. Then, you have many audio and video lessons.
Here are some of the fabulous resources that can help you.
- Simple Romanian — This can help you grasp the basics through short, engaging activities. You can access 70 free lessons featuring authentic dialogues and audio and video tutoring, delivered directly from the streets.
- Live Lingua—Learn Romanian with 9 courses, many ebooks, and audio. This resource is accessible to everybody. The best thing is that it’s free!
- Language Apps — You can begin practicing Romanian with just a few minutes on language apps like Duolingo, Babbel, Bussu, Memrise, and Rosetta Stone. They teach you to associate words and phrases with visuals.
- Romanian Hub — If you want to learn through Videos, you can check out the RomanianHub YouTube channel. There, you will find many videos to help you understand the language.
- Romanian with Gia — You can gain elementary proficiency in Romanian by watching some awesome videos by Gia. She not only explains everything in detail but is also entertaining.
- Learn Romanian with Nico — Viewing a language spoken by a native is one of the best ways to learn the rhythm and sound of specific words. You can do that through creative videos by Nico.
As you’ve seen, there are many reasons to learn Romanian.
The last one I haven’t mentioned above is that you will connect with Romanian speakers and make friends.
It is a unique skill that helps you stand out from the crowd. Is rarity makes it impressive.
Are you planning to start learning Romanian?
I’d love to know your reasons. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I already speak English and Spanish and am currently learning Romanian for my boyfriend. I like your language resources list. I only knew about Nico’s videos, Duolingo and easyromanian That’s where I study. Thank you for this article.
Sir, could you tell me about the Polish language future?
Useful if you intend to move to Poland, the cultural aspects intrigue you, or working in a Polish company. Otherwise, career opportunities are pretty limited. It is also challenging to find a Polish language course.
I enjoyed reading it. I want to teach at a college in India or outside. Which language should I learn? Otherwise, a master’s in Geography and education from Delhi University. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in education. I love culture and education.
Do you want to teach a language at the university? If yes, you need a Ph.D. or at least Masters’s or similar knowledge in the target language. If you wish to teach some other subjects, but want the language to help you out, then you can pick the language as per the target destination. In India, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese are the four most popular ones, but some opportunities exist in nearly all languages.