Transportation Vocabulary
Most modes of transportation in Romanian are neuter nouns. In their definite form ("the" vehicle), they generally end in -ul.
| the subway | metroul |
| The subway is new and clean. | Metroul este nou și curat. |
Traveling "By" (The Preposition "cu")
To indicate that you are traveling "by" a certain vehicle, Romanian uses the preposition cu (with).
Crucially, while prepositions of location (la, în, pe) usually force nouns to drop their definite article, nouns keep their definite article after cu. You literally say that you are traveling "with the bus" or "with the taxi".
| We go by bus to the airport. | Mergem cu autobuzul la aeroport. |
| We arrive at the airport by taxi. | Ajungem la aeroport cu taxiul. |
Waiting, Finding, and Looking
When you wait for, look for, or cannot find your transport or luggage, the item is simply the direct object of the verb. It takes its standard definite form without any extra prepositions.
| The tourist is waiting for the taxi on the street. | Turistul așteaptă taxiul pe stradă. |
| I cannot find the luggage at the airport! | Nu găsesc bagajul la aeroport! |
| The tourist looks for the map on the phone. | Turistul caută harta pe telefon. |
The Journey
As you continue exploring, remember the location rules from previous lessons: when going "to" or being "at" a general place, use la and drop the noun's definite article (aeroportul → la aeroport, metroul → la metrou).
| the journey | călătoria |
| The journey is expensive, but interesting. | Călătoria este scumpă, dar interesantă. |
| He hurries to the subway. | El se grăbește la metrou. |
