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In Romanian, when speaking to strangers, elders, authority figures, or in professional settings, it is important to use the formal register. You do this by replacing the casual *tu* (you, singular) with the formal pronoun **dumneavoastră**.

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### Verb Agreement

The most important rule for formal politeness is that **dumneavoastră** always takes the **2nd person plural** verb form—exactly the same form you use for *voi* (you all), even when you are only speaking to one person.

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### Titles and Direct Address

To respectfully get someone's attention or address them directly, use titles like **domnule** (sir) or **doamnă** (madam). You can drop the pronoun *dumneavoastră* when the plural verb ending already makes it clear who you are talking to.

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### Polite Requests and Commands

To say "please", use the phrase **vă rog**. This translates literally to "I ask you", using the formal/plural object pronoun *vă*. 

You will often pair **vă rog** with the formal verb **puteți** (can / are you able to) to make polite requests, or use it to soften instructions.

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### Expressing Thanks

Similarly, to formally express gratitude, use the phrase **vă mulțumesc** (literally, "I thank you").

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Formal politeness (dumneavoastră)

adjective

adverb

adverbial phrase

auxiliary

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The verb to be and definite articles (a fi, -ul, -le)

Feminine definite articles (-a, -ua)

Indefinite articles (un, o)

Negative sentences (nu)

Question words (ce, unde, cine)

The verb to have (a avea)

Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)

Feminine plural nouns (-e, -i, -le)

Neuter plural nouns (-uri, -e, -le)

Adjectives and agreement

Present tense of regular -a verbs

Present tense of -a verbs with suffix (-ez)

Present tense of regular -i and -î verbs

Present tense of -i and -î verbs with suffix (-esc / -ăsc)

Present tense of -ea and -e verbs

Reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă)

Accusative prepositions (în, la, pe, din, cu)

Likes and dislikes (îmi place)

Possessive adjectives (meu, tău, său)

Third-person possessives (lui, ei, lor)

Possessive articles (al, a, ai, ale)

Demonstrative adjectives (acest, acel)

Numbers 1 to 10

The number two (doi, două)

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Quantifying large numbers (de)

The subjunctive (să)

Third-person subjunctive (să)

Direct object pronouns (îl, o, îi, le)

Personal direct objects (pe)

Days of the week

Telling time (e ora...)

Months of the Year (January to June)

Months of the Year (July to December)

The Four Seasons

Weather Conditions

Rooms in a House

Basic Body Parts: Upper Body

Basic Body Parts: Limbs

Everyday Clothing

Basic Foods: Groceries

Fruits and Vegetables

Around Town

Getting Around

Setting the Table

A Colorful World

Common Animals

In the Wild

Jobs and Careers

Everyday Tech

Describing people (tânăr, bătrân, înalt)

Asking when and why (când, de ce, care)

Hello and goodbye (bună ziua, la revedere)

Coming and going (intra, sta, trece)

Where is it? (sub, lângă, între)

Knowing and thinking (știu că, cred că)

Sorry, welcome, congratulations (îmi pare rău, la mulți ani)

Introducing yourself (mă numesc, sunt din România)

How much and how many (puțin, prea, doar)

Can and may (pot merge, pot să merg)

If and whether (dacă)

At school and university

Irregular verbs in the present (vrea, lua, da, bea, sta)

Free time and sport

How much is it? (cât costă, câți, câte)

Before and after (înainte, după, până)

At the doctor (mă doare)

Meals of the day (micul dejun, prânzul, cina)

At the restaurant

Ability and permission (a putea să)

Obligation and necessity (trebuie să)

Desires and intentions (a vrea să)

Impersonal statements (se)

Adverbs of frequency (adesea, uneori)

Conjunctions for reasons and links (pentru că, deci)

Stressed accusative pronouns (pe mine, pe tine)

Indefinite pronouns (cineva, ceva)

Negative pronouns and double negation (nimeni, nimic)

The past tense auxiliary (am, ai, a)

The past tense (am, ai, a)

Regular past participles (-at, -it)

Regular past participles (-ut, -s, -t)

Negative past tense (nu am)

Past tense with reflexive verbs (m-am, s-a)

Question	Answer
how	cum
you (formal)	dumneavoastră
How are you now?	Cum sunteți dumneavoastră acum?
to want / to wish	dori
Do you want a coffee, sir?	Dumneavoastră doriți o cafea, domnule?
the lady / Mrs.	doamna
Madam, what do you want?	Doamnă, ce doriți?
to ask / to request	ruga
please (formal / plural)	vă rog
can / to be able to	putea
to help	ajuta
Please, can you help the child?	Vă rog, puteți ajuta copilul?
The gentleman helps us with the project.	Domnul ne ajută cu proiectul.
How do you do everything, madam?	Cum faceți totul, doamnă?
to thank	mulțumi
I thank you very much, madam.	Eu vă mulțumesc mult, doamnă.
The teacher thanks you.	Profesorul vă mulțumește.
Where are you going?	Unde mergeți dumneavoastră?
Please, wait here!	Vă rog, așteptați aici!
Can you come home early?	Puteți veni acasă devreme?
please (informal)	te rog
A tea, please.	Un ceai, vă rog.
Please, where is the station?	Vă rog, unde este gara?
A coffee, please.	O cafea, te rog.
A glass of water, please.	Un pahar cu apă, te rog.
thank you	mulțumesc
Thank you, madam!	Mulțumesc, doamnă!
Thank you very much!	Mulțumesc mult!
you're welcome	cu plăcere
Thank you! — You're welcome!	Mulțumesc! — Cu plăcere!
You're welcome, madam.	Cu plăcere, doamnă.
here you are / pardon?	poftim
Here is the coffee.	Poftim cafeaua.
Pardon? I don't understand.	Poftim? Nu înțeleg.

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