Blog » Learn Romanian » Romanian Grammar » Romanian Adverbs: A Quick Reference

Romanian Adverbs: A Quick Reference

Adverbs describe actions, and therefore appear next or close to verbs. Romanian adverbs are generally not inflected. Some follow the same degree of comparison rules as adjectives. Others could take the form of diminutives because of emotional involvement in conversation. Some adverbs in Romanian are simple, others are compund:

  • când = when
  • unde = where
  • cum = how
  • acasă = at home
  • aseară = last night
  • atunci = then
  • ieri = yesterday
  • mâine = tomorrow
  • duminică = on Sunday
  • duminica = every Sunday
  • niciodată = never
  • românește (englezește, franțuzește, italienește, nemțește, etc.) = in Romanian, …etc.
  • încetișor (dim) = slowly
  • pe derost = by heart
  • din nou = again
  • dată = once
  • din când în când = sometimes
  • așa-și-așa = so and so
  • pe neașteptate = unexpectedly
  • (în)totdeauna = always
  • mai ales = especially

Many Romanian adverbs and adjectives in look alike. The mechanism for forming degrees of comparison is identical to the one described for adjectives. The form of the adverb always remains masculine, singular, and indefinite. These adverbs correspond to the English ‘-ly’ adverbs.

  • frumos = beautifully
  • rar = slowly
  • repede = quickly
  • tare = strongly, loudly
  • rece = coldly
  • cald = warmly
  • interesant = with interest
  • plăcut = pleasantly

Examples of paired adjectives and adverbs in Romanian:

Adjectives Adverbs
Astăzi vremea e frumoasă.

Today the weather is nice.

Este frumos astăzi.

It’s nice today.

Copacii erau foarte mari.

The trees were quite scarce.

Românii din Transilvania vorbesc foarte rar.

(The) Romanians from Transylvania speak very slowly.

O ploaie rece a căzut peste oraș

A cold rain fell over the city.

Domnul Antor le-a vorbit rece.

Mr. Anton spoke to them coldly.


Learn and practice hundreds of Romanian adverbs in context with Clozemaster!


This article is Chapter 5: Adverbs of the Foreign Service Institute’s Romanian Reference Grammar, Copyright: Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC).

Hoffman CN. Romanian reference grammar. Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State, 1989.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *