Family comes up early in any Romanian conversation: new acquaintances often ask whether you have brothers and sisters, whether you are married and whether you have children. This guide gives you the words for the whole family, from parents to in-laws and godparents, and shows how to say my mother or your brother correctly.

Parents, children, brothers and sisters

  • mamă

    mother

  • tată

    father

  • părinți

    parents

  • copil

    child

  • fiu

    son

  • fiică

    daughter

  • frate

    brother

  • soră

    sister

The plurals you will need most often are irregular: frate becomes frați (brothers, or siblings in general), soră becomes surori, and copil becomes copii. In everyday speech many people say băiatul meu (my boy) and fata mea (my girl) rather than fiul and fiica.

Grandparents and the wider family

  • bunic

    grandfather

  • bunică

    grandmother

  • nepot

    grandson, nephew

  • nepoată

    granddaughter, niece

  • unchi

    uncle

  • mătușă

    aunt

  • văr

    cousin (male)

  • vară

    cousin (female)

Bunici means grandparents, both together. Nepot covers both a grandson and a nephew, so the context tells you which. Vară (female cousin) is spelled and pronounced exactly like vară (summer).

Partners and in-laws

  • soț

    husband

  • soție

    wife

  • socru

    father-in-law

  • soacră

    mother-in-law

  • cumnat

    brother-in-law

  • cumnată

    sister-in-law

  • ginere

    son-in-law

  • noră

    daughter-in-law

Your spouse's parents together are socrii. Romanian also has a word English lacks: the two sets of parents of a married couple call each other cuscri (cuscru for a man, cuscră for a woman).

Godparents: naș and nașă

  • naș

    godfather, wedding sponsor

  • nașă

    godmother, wedding sponsor

The nași are the couple who stand with the bride and groom at a wedding and who sponsor a child at the christening. In many families the same couple fills both roles, and they stay close to the family for life. The godchild is fin or fină.

My mother, your brother

To say my, your and so on, Romanian puts the noun first, with its definite article, and the possessive after it. The possessive agrees with the noun, not with the owner.

RomanianEnglish
mama meamy mother
tatăl meumy father
fratele meumy brother
sora meamy sister
părinții meimy parents
surorile melemy sisters
bunica tayour grandmother
soțul tăuyour husband

On their own, mama and tata usually mean my mum and my dad: Tata e acasă (Dad is at home). For someone else's relatives with a name, use the genitive: sora lui Andrei (Andrei's sister), mama Mariei (Maria's mother). The guide to Romanian noun cases explains these forms.

Talking about your family

  • Câți frați ai?

    How many brothers and sisters do you have?

  • Am un frate și o soră.

    I have a brother and a sister.

  • Am doi copii.

    I have two children.

  • Sunt căsătorit.

    I'm married. (said by a man)

A woman says Sunt căsătorită. Age uses a avea, as in Fiul meu are șapte ani (My son is seven), and Câți ani are? asks how old someone is.

RomanianEnglish
Nu sunt căsătorit.I'm not married. (said by a man)
Sunt divorțată.I'm divorced. (said by a woman)
Suntem o familie mare.We're a big family.
Sunt copil unic.I'm an only child.

Asking about someone's family

RomanianEnglish
Ai frați?Do you have brothers or sisters? (tu)
Aveți copii?Do you have children? (polite)
Ce mai face mama ta?How is your mother doing?
Cum îl cheamă pe fratele tău?What's your brother's name?
Câți ani are fiica dumneavoastră?How old is your daughter? (polite)

Romanians also use many affectionate forms inside the family: mămica (mummy), bunicuța (granny), frățiorul (little brother). You do not need to use them, but you will hear them often.

Further reading