Speaking

Vowels

Romanian has seven main vowels: a, e, i, o, u, ă, î/â. Each vowel has a distinct sound:

A: Pronounced like the "a" in "father."
Ă: Similar to the "a" in "sofa," but shorter.
Â/Î: These two letters sound the same and represent a unique Romanian sound, somewhat like the "i" in "sir," but more nasalized.
E: Like the "e" in "bet."
I: Similar to the "ee" in "see."
O: Like the "o" in "port."
U: Similar to the "oo" in "food."

Most Romanian consonants are pronounced similarly to their English counterparts. However, a few require special attention:

C: Before "e" or "i," it sounds like the "ch" in "church" (e.g., cer – sky). In other cases, it sounds like the "k" in "cat" (e.g., carte – book).
G: Before "e" or "i," it is pronounced like the "g" in "gem" (e.g., ger – frost). Otherwise, it sounds like the "g" in "go" (e.g., galben – yellow).
Ș: Pronounced like the "sh" in "shoe" (e.g., școală – school).
Ț: Similar to the "ts" in "cats" (e.g., țară – country).
H: Always pronounced as a soft "h," like in "hat" (e.g., hartă – map).