Learn Romanian from Italian, Free, at PBC Languages
Italian speakers pick up Romanian fast thanks to shared Latin roots. Free 1-to-1 exchanges and small group classes with native teachers.
Create your free accountNo card needed. Exchanges between members are always free.
If you speak Italian, you already own half the Romanian vocabulary before you open a book. Words like mânca (mangiare, to eat), cânta (cantare, to sing) or vedea (vedere, to see) are close enough that you'll recognize them the first time you hear them. Basic word order is also familiar, so short sentences click into place quickly.
What trips people up is grammar that looks Romance but behaves differently. Romanian barely uses the infinitive: instead of 'voglio andare' you say 'vreau să merg' (literally 'I want that I go'), and Italian speakers keep reaching for the infinitive out of habit. Romanian also marks genitive and dative directly on the noun, something Italian does with 'di' and 'a', and it sticks the definite article onto the end of the word: băiat becomes băiatul. Add two vowel sounds Italian doesn't have, ă and â/î, and the first few weeks of listening feel less familiar than the vocabulary promised.
Where you'll move fast: ordering food, asking directions, talking about daily routines, anything built from cognate vocabulary and simple present tense. Where you'll slow down: past tenses, the 'să' subjunctive construction, and sounding natural instead of visibly translating from Italian in your head.
Words you will actually hear
| Here | Elsewhere | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| mare | mare | In Romanian 'mare' means 'big', not 'sea' like in Italian. Classic trap in the first month. |
| carte | carta | Romanian 'carte' is 'book'. Italian 'carta' is 'paper'. Close spelling, different object entirely. |
| gară | gara | 'Gară' is a train station in Romanian; in Italian 'gara' is a race or competition. |
| morbid | morbido | Romanian 'morbid' means creepy/morbid, same as English. Italian 'morbido' means soft. Don't compliment a pillow with this one. |
| a ține | tenere | True cognate, both mean 'to hold'. One of the easy wins. |
| fabrică | fabbrica | Same word, same meaning: factory. Recognizable on sight. |
| cameră | camera | True cognate meaning 'room'. Helps you guess dozens of related words. |
| a sări | salire | Romanian 'a sări' means 'to jump'. Italian 'salire' means 'to go up'. Similar sound, different action. |
| spirt | spirito | Romanian 'spirt' is rubbing alcohol. Italian 'spirito' is spirit or soul. Don't ask a pharmacist for 'spirito'. |
How it works here
-
Sign up and say your level
Two minutes. If you do not know your level, we place you in the first class.
-
Pick a class or an exchange
Classes are led by a native teacher. An exchange is with another member: half the time in their language, half in yours.
-
Join by video, nothing to install
From your phone or your computer. If you cannot make it, cancel and get your place back.
Questions about this
How long does it take for an Italian speaker to get conversational in Romanian?
Thanks to shared vocabulary, most Italian speakers can follow simple conversations within a couple of months of steady practice. Sounding natural instead of translating from Italian in your head, especially with the 'să' construction and cases, takes longer and depends on how often you show up to exchanges and classes.
Is the 1-to-1 exchange actually free?
Yes. You give half an hour of your Italian to a Romanian speaker and get half an hour of their Romanian in return. No payment involved on either side, it's a straight trade of time and language.
What level of Romanian do I need before joining an exchange?
None required to start, but a handful of basic phrases makes the first sessions less frustrating. If you're at zero, the small group classes with native teachers are a better starting point before jumping into 1-to-1 exchanges.
How exactly is the half hour split during the exchange?
Thirty minutes in Romanian, thirty minutes in Italian, with both people deciding together where the switch happens. Most pairs use a timer or just agree on a topic change as the signal.
Keep looking around
Start this week
A free account, a free first group class, and exchanges that never cost anything.
