Stations and borders
Gara is the train station; autogara is the bus station, where long-distance buses leave. Vama (plural vămi) is customs, at a border or an airport — you wait la vamă.
| The bus leaves from the bus station at eight. | Autobuzul pleacă de la autogară la opt. |
| We waited two hours at customs. | Am stat două ore la vamă. |
| At customs, they checked our luggage. | La vamă, ne-au verificat bagajele. |
Flying
Îmbarcarea is boarding, built from a se îmbarca (to board), the way intrarea comes from a intra.
| Boarding starts at ten o'clock. | Îmbarcarea începe la ora zece. |
| Boarding was delayed because of the fog. | Îmbarcarea a întârziat din cauza ceții. |
On the road
Autostrada is the highway; its plural is irregular, like stradă: autostrăzi. The A2 from Bucharest to the Black Sea coast is nicknamed Autostrada Soarelui, the Highway of the Sun. Buckle up first: centura is the seat belt, and also a belt you wear. Motocicleta is the motorcycle; in everyday speech people often just say motorul.
| We're driving to the seaside on the highway. | Mergem la mare pe autostradă. |
| Put on your seat belt, please! | Pune-ți centura, te rog! |
| I ride my motorcycle to work. | Merg la serviciu cu motocicleta. |
Abroad
Străinătatea comes from străin (foreign). You live în străinătate (abroad), go în străinătate, and come back din străinătate. Millions of Romanians live and work abroad.
| Many Romanians live abroad. | Mulți români trăiesc în străinătate. |
Lost, and over there
A rătăci is to wander. Used with a reflexive pronoun, it means to get lost: m-am rătăcit (I got lost). Dincolo is over there, on the other side; dincolo de is beyond.
| I got lost in the city. | M-am rătăcit în oraș. |
| Customs is on the other side of the bridge. | Vama este dincolo de pod. |
