Do People Speak English in Romania?

Planning a trip and wondering if the language will be a barrier? Relax. English is widely spoken across Romania, especially by younger people and anywhere tourists go. You can travel the whole country comfortably in English, and a handful of Romanian words will earn you warm smiles along the way.

The short answer

Yes, you'll be fine. In cities, hotels, restaurants, museums and transport hubs, English is common and often fluent. Romania dubs very little foreign television, subtitling instead, so generations have grown up hearing English daily. Ask a young person for directions in Bucharest, Cluj or Brașov and there's an excellent chance they'll answer easily.

You don't need to learn Romanian to visit. You'll navigate airports, check into hotels, order dinner and book day trips in English without trouble.

Where English is strong, and where it's weaker

English is strongest where you'd expect:

• Cities and tourist towns such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, Sibiu, Sighișoara and Timișoara
• Hotels, guesthouses and restaurants used to international guests
• Younger people, students and anyone working in tourism, tech or hospitality

It gets thinner in a few places:

• Older people, especially those who studied French or Russian at school rather than English
• Remote villages and the deep countryside, where daily life simply doesn't call for it
• Small local offices and some rural transport

Even then, you won't be stuck. A friendly attitude, a few Romanian words and a translation app carry you a long way. Romanians are generally warm and patient with visitors who try, and a smile does real work here.

About the Romanian language

Romanian often surprises people. It's a Romance language, a cousin of Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese, so if you know any of those you'll recognise a lot of words. It uses the Latin alphabet you already read, with a few extra letters (ă, â, î, ș, ț). Signs, menus and place names are all readable at a glance.

Words like restaurant, hotel, taxi and bilet (ticket) are easy to guess, and numbers and courtesies feel familiar to anyone with a little Italian or Spanish.

Other languages you may hear

Romania is more linguistically layered than it first appears:

• Hungarian is widely spoken in parts of Transylvania, especially the Székely Land counties of Harghita and Covasna
• German heritage lingers in the Saxon lands around Sibiu, Brașov and the fortified villages, where you'll see German street names and hear it from older residents and at cultural sites

This mix is part of Transylvania's charm, not an obstacle. English still bridges most gaps.

A few useful phrases

Learning even a little Romanian is appreciated and genuinely fun:

• Bună ziua — Good day / Hello (polite)
• Mulțumesc — Thank you
• Vă rog — Please
• Da / Nu — Yes / No
• Cât costă? — How much is it?
• Scuzați — Excuse me
• La revedere — Goodbye

For a fuller list with pronunciation, see our travel phrasebook (dicționar de călătorie), and pair it with our essentials page for the practical basics of a Romania trip.

Practical tips

• Menus in tourist areas usually have English, and staff can explain dishes
• Translation apps work well offline once you download Romanian; point-the-camera translation is handy for signs and small-town menus
• The emergency number is 112, and operators can assist in English
• Write it down: showing an address or destination as text avoids any pronunciation trouble with taxis
• Learn the greetings: opening with bună ziua and mulțumesc changes the whole tone of an interaction

Bottom line: Romania is an easy, welcoming country to travel in English. Bring a few Romanian words, keep a translation app handy, and enjoy a place where a little effort is always met with warmth.