Romanian Sayings

Romanians use plenty of phrases and sayings that might sound funny or could be meaningless when translated.

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11 Romanian Sayings That Will Help You Understand Romania

Glossary Report

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A dat cu mucii în fasoleTranslation: He threw his boogers in the beans This expression means that someone has messed up something, usually irreparably. However, when Romanians know they have done something wrong, they will try to fix it.

Să știi ca pe Tatăl NostruTranslation: To know like the Lord’s Prayer Romanians are religious people, and in traditional families, children learn the Lord’s Prayer when they are young. So, if you know something like the Lord’s Prayer, it means you know it by heart.

A-ți lua inima în dințiTranslation: To take your heart in your teeth No, this has nothing to do with actually eating a heart. This saying means to be brave or to dare to do something.

A băga mâna în foc pentru cinevaTranslation: To put your hand in fire for somebody This saying is used when you’ve vouched for someone. Romanians start from the premise that everyone is trustworthy until the contrary is proven.

Să faci din rahat biciTranslation: To make a whip out of shit As senseless as it might seem, this expresses that Romanians do so much with so little. Give them any task, and even if they have never dealt with it before, they will always find a way.

I-a sărit muștarulTranslation: His mustard has jumped off This means that someone has suddenly lost their temper. Although Romanians are very friendly, it’s best to avoid annoying them.

A vinde gogoșiTranslation: To sell doughnuts Although selling doughnuts might not seem like a negative thing, for Romanians, this phrase means that you are lying to them. And that’s something they really don’t appreciate.

A-ți pica fisaTranslation: To drop your coin It has nothing to do with money—to ‘drop your coin’ means that you suddenly understood something. The saying is commonly used when someone has figured out something important.

La Paștele CailorTranslation: At horses’ Easter If a Romanian says that something will happen ‘at horses’ Easter’, it actually means it will never happen, so your wish might be considered unrealistic.

A freca mentaTranslation: To rub the mint Romanian’s way of saying that you are wasting time or doing nothing. In other words, Romanians don’t like lazy people.

“Transferring our cultural heritage to the next generation by peer-learning”Partnership project for intercultural exchange within the Erasmus +Program2019-1-TR01-KA229-074152_3 This project was funded by the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author. The European Commission and the National Agency are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Now, if you make it toward the end, you can try the rest, but beware: The hard riddles will put you to the test!

10 Riddles That Will Stump You Every Time

Glosary report

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Riddle: What has legs, but doesn’t walk? Answer: A table

Riddle: What has to be broken before you can use it? Answer: An egg

What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it? Answer: A promise

Riddle: What can’t talk but will reply when spoken to? Answer: An echo

Riddle: I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I? Answer: Your shadow

Riddle: What invention lets you look right through a wall? Answer: A window

Riddle: What three numbers, none of which is zero, give the same result whether they’re added or multiplied? Answer: One, two and three

Riddle: You see me once in June, twice in November and not at all in May. What am I? Answer: The letter “e”

Riddle: What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it? Answer: Silence.

Riddle: I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone and cities with no buildings. What am I? Answer: A map