How to Tell the Time and Talk About Daily Routines
When you begin to learn Romanian, one of the first practical skills you’ll encounter is how to talk about time. Knowing how to say what time it is, when something happens, and how to describe parts of the day is essential for communicating in real-life situations like setting appointments, describing your schedule, or understanding public transportation timetables.
Telling the Time in Romanian
Romanian uses a 12-hour clock in everyday speech, and learning how to say the time helps you structure conversations throughout the day. Here are the most common structures:
Este ora două. – It’s two o’clock.
Este ora trei și un sfert. – It’s a quarter past three.
Este ora cinci și jumătate. – It’s half past five.
Este ora șase fără un sfert. – It’s a quarter to six.
Useful vocabulary:
și un sfert – a quarter past
și jumătate – half past
fără un sfert – a quarter to
minute – minutes
ceas – clock/watch
You’ll also learn how to ask:
Cât este ceasul? – What time is it?
La ce oră ai curs? – At what time is your class?
Moments of the Day in Romanian
Just like in English, Romanian divides the day into several parts:
dimineață – morning
prânz – noon/lunchtime
după-amiază – afternoon
seară – evening
noapte – night
Example sentences help build fluency:
Mă trezesc dimineața la ora șapte. – I wake up in the morning at seven o’clock.
Luăm prânzul la ora doisprezece. – We have lunch at twelve.
Mă culc seara târziu. – I go to bed late in the evening.
These expressions are practiced in context through dialogues and activities that mirror daily routines.
Comparing Routines: Earlier or Later?
Learners are introduced to temporal comparisons using adverbs like:
mai devreme – earlier
mai târziu – later
Examples:
Mara se trezește mai târziu decât Radu. – Mara wakes up later than Radu.
Eu plec de acasă mai devreme. – I leave home earlier.
These forms help students talk about differences in habits and schedules, and support the development of conversational accuracy.
Real-Life Practice: Describing Your Daily Schedule
Learners are encouraged to describe their own day using time expressions and daily actions:
Dimineața mă spăl, mă îmbrac și iau micul dejun. La ora opt plec la serviciu. După-amiază fac cumpărături. Seara citesc sau mă uit la televizor.
This type of structured expression allows learners to build confidence in using verbs, reflexive forms, and time phrases in a fluid and personal way.
Take the Next Step with Our Romanian Lessons
Being able to talk about your daily routine, meetings, or even weekend plans is an essential skill when you learn a new language. At Punto Iberica, our Romanian lessons are built to develop these everyday communication skills naturally and confidently. Join our courses and start speaking Romanian with ease—from telling the time to describing your entire day!
Visit our resource page for grammar guides, dictionaries, and pronunciation support.
Editorial Note: This content was created with AI assistance based on our team’s original ideas and pedagogical goals. It was carefully curated, edited, and finalized by a human to ensure quality and accuracy.
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