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Questions & Answers about Mi-e rău.
Why does this sentence use Mi-e instead of starting with Eu (I)?
In Romanian, physical feelings and states like being sick, cold, or hungry are expressed by saying 'to me is' rather than 'I am'. So, Mi-e rău literally means 'To me is bad'. If you said Eu sunt rău, it would mean 'I am a mean or bad person'.
What exactly does Mi-e stand for?
Mi-e is a contraction of two words: Îmi (to me) and este (is). Romanians often combine them to speak faster. You can also write or say the full, uncontracted version: Îmi este rău.
If rău generally means 'bad', why does it mean 'sick' here?
While rău does translate to 'bad', when it is used in this specific 'to me is' structure (mi-e), the phrase specifically means 'I feel sick' or 'I feel nauseous'.