Oh mercy, to understand Romanian mentality you’ve got to understand the custom of the pițipoancă (peetsy-poe-ankah) and the role she plays in society here. The normally verbose DEX has a very short definition of the word as a tanara usuratica, which translates literally to a “young, frivolous woman” however the most accurate translation in English would be something along the lines of a “bimbo”. Without … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Pitipoanca
To begin with, for Megan, here is an extensive list of Romanian proverbs with their English equivalent. I had a look through them and they all seem legitimate. That being said, it’s a little different because in English (and Spanish), I do not think two native speakers can talk for more than a minute without some kind of proverb, expression or euphemism being uttered. Romanian … Continue reading Party Every Day!
Because all Romanian cities (including Bucharest) are heavily pedestrian, you’re going to do a lot of walking around and see a wide variety of stores and shops. Some are self-explanatory (computer stores always say “computer”, for instance) but others are not. In alphabetical order: Amanet – A pawnshop. Trades a lot more in gold and silver than electronic items and the like. If you don’t … Continue reading Stores in Romania
As you were no doubt carefully reading the lyrics from my last post, you saw the use of the phrase: azi noapte. Amongst Latin languages, this is unique. It’s a phrase combining azi, meaning “today” and noapte meaning “night.” So putting them together, today + night, you might think it means “tonight.” No, actually it means “last night”. Don’t ask me why, this is how … Continue reading Azi Noapte
Oh my lord, I’m sure I’m the only English-speaking person on the planet who finds certain manele songs delightful but so it is :P Here’s a superior product from Nicolae Guta and the incomparable Roxana, Printesa Ardealului aka Roxana, the Transylvanian Princess. First of all, on a highly personal note, The Woman is openly aware of my fascination and admiration of Printesa Ardealului so it’s … Continue reading Mi-A Venit Barbatul Acasa
