Learn Romanian!
When you learn Romanian, you learn the modern language most similar to the Latin
spoken in the Roman Empire. Not only is Romanian spoken in Romania, but also in
neighboring Moldova, parts of Serbia and in pockets throughout Europe and North
America.
Because it is a Romance language, an Indo-European language
descended from Latin, it has many similarities to Italian, French and other
Romance languages. But, Romanian is very Latin. It has retained more
Latin characteristics longer than any other Romance language. There is also some
Slavic influence from its neighboring languages, and also from Greek, Hungarian
and Turkish, making Romanian somewhat exotic. Unlike its cousin Romance
languages, there are very few resources to learn Romanian.
Internet/Free
Free BYKI™ Lite download by Transparent LanguageBefore You Know It from Transparent Language is an effective and flexible flashcard program that can be downloaded for free in a limited form, which comes preloaded with hundreds of words and phrases with audio in the language of your choice, including Romanian!
Romanian Lessons.com A basic site to get an introduction to Romanian. Basic lessons, vocabulary, grammar and some audio to get you started.
Lingq.com has recently added Romanian to its list of beta languages. Lingq doesn't officially support Romanian, but allows users to add content for it. Lingq has a great system for using text and audio from native speakers and has a ton of content for basic, intermediate and advanced learners as well as other features. While some people use Lingq exclusively for their language learning needs, it also makes a great complement to any other language method or system you may be using.
Book/Audio Combo
Teach Yourself Romanian
The longstanding Teach Yourself series has always had the widest variety of languages, and Romanian is no exception. The Teach Yourself Romanian coursebook comes with two audio cd's and makes a good introduction to Romanian. It is inexpensive and is easy to find as it is available in most bookstores or online.
This inexpensive software program to learn
Romanian is a great tool to have in your arsenal. Lots of vocabulary and
phrases, dialogues, audio from native speakers, games and activities and much
more to get you started.
Audio
Pimsleur Romanian Comprehensive I
Pimsleurs Romanian Comprehensive Level 1 is a new addition to the Pimsleur line. Pimsleurs all-audio format is a great introduction to the language, and with it you'll develop a better accent and conversation ability than with any other published language method. It's a great way to begin to learn Romanian. For a more in-depth look at how Pimsleur products work, read my review of Pimsleur products, or you can listen to the first lesson of Pimsleur Romanian free below!
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'Language is the Rubicon that divides man from beast.'
- Max Muller
