Navigating an airport in a new language might seem daunting, but a handful of specialized vocabulary will get you smoothly from check-in to your final destination. In this lesson, we will focus on the essential terms for your flight and how to talk about your travel timeline.
Take-off and Landing
The two most important events of any flight are taking off and landing. In Romanian, the verbs are a decola (to take off) and a ateriza (to land). Their noun equivalents—often used when talking about the phases of the flight—are decolarea (the take-off) and aterizarea (the landing).
When discussing travel plans and schedules, you will often need to say "as soon as". In Romanian, this is the phrase imediat ce.
Navigating the Airport
As you move through the airport, you will pass through terminalul (the terminal), go through controlul vamal (customs control), and wait at poarta (the gate). If you are not on a direct flight, you might also have o escală (a layover).
To talk about things that happen during these stages, use the phrase în timpul (during). Because it requires the genitive case, the noun that follows it will change its ending. For a feminine noun like escala (the layover), it becomes escale**i.
In the Air: People and Conditions
Once on board, your flight is managed by pilotul (the pilot) and stewardesa (the flight attendant). You might also experience the occasional turbulență (turbulence).
When linking two nouns together to show possession or association (like "the voice of the pilot" or "the take-off of the plane"), Romanian uses the genitive case. Masculine and neuter nouns generally add -lui to the end of their definite forms (like avion**ului or pilot**ului).
