I had to laugh because although I just formally learned the word imbulzeala (em-boolzy-ala) the other day, visitors and foreign residents in Romania have been asking me about the phenomenon for years. This is a classic Romanian word, constructed from a root word bulz, which means something like “clot” or “clump” or “clod”. As DEX helpfully informs us, when your mamaliga gels into a little … Continue reading WOTD: Imbulzeala
Well yesterday was Easter for Hungarians, Germans and pretty much all the foreigners here in Romania but for the Orthodox church that won’t happen until next Sunday. A useful word to know here in Romania at this time of year is denie (denny-eh) which refers specifically and only to the Orthodox masses held each day during the week before Easter (aka this week right now). … Continue reading Word of the Day: Denie
As you trip down the interesting highways and byways of the Romanian language, you come across some words that bisect in unusual ways with English and other languages. An excellent example of this is the Romanian word coajă (kwah-zha), which refers to the “skin” of any plant. In English, this “skin” on a fruit is usually called the “peel” while for trees it is usually … Continue reading Words of the Day: Coaja – Piele
You know, a lot of the times my Word of the Day series focuses on either obscure or unusual or linguistically interesting words and I realize this may not be of much use to the person who is just beginning to learn Romanian. If this is you, today you are lucky because the word zebra (zeh-bruh) is not only easy to pronounce but also easy … Continue reading Word of the Day: Zebra
Today I was idly browsing through what has to be my all-time favorite gossip rag, Stiri De Cluj (Cluj News), where every minor occurrence is a scandalous, breathtaking event, when I came across this fine, fine piece of journalism, wherein an anonymous spokesperson of the Youth Wing of the PNL party lashes out at the Lord of Cluj, Sorin Apostu: Sorin Apostu, in loc sa … Continue reading Word of the Day: Iobag
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