You might remember my posts on the slang usage of the words marfa and tare, both of which mean “cool” or “awesome” or “brilliant”. Now here’s yet another word with similar meanings: beton (beh-tone). The standard meaning of this noun, borrowed directly from the French, is “concrete” as in the ancient mixture of sand and water to form a rock-like substance. Over time this got … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Beton
Over the years I’ve scoured websites, textbooks and other material looking for a concise chapter to explain the dash “-” mark in Romanian syntax and yet never found it. Perhaps it exists somewhere and you can provide us with a link. But for now you’ll have to do with my mini guide. I actually used to write Romanian before I spoke or understood a single … Continue reading That Damn Dash Mark
Oh my word, I just found this old post that was printed in the (UK) Telegraph newspaper, which made me smile. I have to give this lady respect for her honesty, that’s for sure. A few choice quotes: As my third anniversary in Bucharest passed, I realised I was becoming that person I had previously derided: the expat who has spent years in a country … Continue reading Following the 37 Steps :P
I think one of my favorite slang words in Romania is marfă (mar-fuh), although I don’t use it very often. The standard use of the word marfa is as a noun to indicate “cargo” or “manufactured goods” or sometimes “freight”, borrowed directly from a Hungarian word (márha) that means cattle or livestock. In slang usage however this becomes an adjective and is used to indicate … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Marfa
One of the easiest and most colorful slang words in use today in Romania is mișto (meesh-toe), which is an all-purpose adjective meaning “fun, nice, enjoyable” or sometimes “funny”. I think if I had to choose one English word to universally translate misto as, it would be “delightful” although “cool” would probably be equally common. This is a direct borrowing from the “gypsy” language (rroma), … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Misto
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