Convenience Store

1. Unde este cel mai apropiat magazin de cartier?

   UN-de ES-te chel mai a-pro-pi-AT ma-ga-ZIN de kar-ti-ER

   Where is the nearest neighbourhood shop?

   Usage

   The Romanian answer to a convenience store is the "magazin de cartier" (neighbourhood shop), usually on the ground floor of an apartment block, with signs reading "ALIMENTARA", "NON-STOP" or "MINIMARKET". Chains such as Profi and Mega Image also run small city-centre formats

   Grammar Note

   Romanian forms the superlative with "cel mai + adjective", and "cel" agrees with the noun: cel (m) / cea (f) / cei, cele (pl). "Magazin" is masculine, hence "cel mai apropiat"

2. Aveți program non-stop?

   a-VETS pro-GRAM non-stop

   Are you open around the clock?

   Usage

   In Romania a round-the-clock shop is simply a "non-stop", written large on the sign. Most urban residential areas have at least one, so water and snacks are available at any hour. Some switch overnight to serving through a window in the door

   Grammar Note

   "Aveți" is the second-person plural of "a avea" (to have), the form that goes with the polite "dumneavoastră". Romanian always uses this plural with strangers; "tu" is reserved for people you know well. Opening hours are called "program", as on the sign "Program de funcționare"

3. Doriți pungă?

   do-RITS PUN-guh

   Would you like a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Lightweight carrier bags are restricted in Romania and bags are charged for. Answer "Da, vă rog" (yes please) or "Nu, mulțumesc" (no thanks). A cloth shopping bag is a "sacoșă"

   Grammar Note

   "A dori" (to wish) is politer than "a vrea" (to want) and is the verb used in service. "Pungă" appears without an article, referring to bags in general — Romanian can drop the article on a non-specific object

4. Cât costă punga?

   kut KOS-tuh PUN-ga

   How much is the bag?

   Usage

   Bags cost anywhere from a few bani up to about a leu, and show up as a separate "Pungă" line on the receipt. If you have your own, say "Am sacoșa mea"

   Grammar Note

   Romanian attaches the definite article to the end of the noun. The feminine "pungă" becomes "punga", with the final "ă" turning into "a". Compare the article-free "Doriți pungă?" in the previous phrase

5. Cu cardul sau cu numerar?

   ku KAR-dul sau ku nu-me-RAR

   By card or in cash?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Cards work almost everywhere in urban Romania, though small shops in the regions still lean on cash. Answer "Cu cardul" or "Cu numerar" — the English "cash" is also understood

   Grammar Note

   Unlike its Slavic neighbours, Romanian has almost no case endings and marks means with the preposition "cu". "Cardul" carries the definite article while "numerar" does not, because the former is a concrete object and the latter an abstract mode of payment

6. Există o sumă minimă pentru plata cu cardul?

   eg-ZIS-tuh o SU-muh MI-ni-muh PEN-tru PLA-ta ku KAR-dul

   Is there a minimum amount for paying by card?

   Usage

   Owner-run neighbourhood shops sometimes post a notice such as "Card de la 20 lei" to avoid processing fees. Regulation discourages it, but the practice persists — worth checking before a very small purchase

   Grammar Note

   The indefinite article precedes the noun — "o" for feminine, "un" for masculine and neuter — in contrast to the definite article, which is suffixed. The adjective also agrees, giving the feminine "minimă"

7. Terminalul nu funcționează, doar numerar.

   ter-mi-NA-lul nu funk-tsyo-NE-a-zuh, doar nu-me-RAR

   The card terminal is down — cash only

   Usage

   Said by staff. When a small shop's terminal goes offline, cash is the only option. An ATM is a "bancomat" — ask "Unde este un bancomat?". Independent machines in tourist areas charge steep fees, so prefer a bank's own

   Grammar Note

   Negation places "nu" before the verb. "A funcționa" is a French-derived verb used for both machines and systems. The letter "ț" represents the "ts" sound and is a distinct letter from "t" — the diacritic is not optional

8. Aveți mărunt?

   a-VETS muh-RUNT

   Do you have any small change?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Corner shops often run short of change, so a 100 or 200 lei note prompts this question; if you have none, say "Nu am, îmi pare rău". ATMs mostly dispense large notes, so break them on small purchases when you can

   Grammar Note

   "Mărunt" is originally the adjective "small, fine" but doubles as a noun for small change; the noun "mărunțiș" also exists. The vowel "ă" is a schwa, like the "a" in English "about", and is a different sound from "a"

9. Pot să returnez aici sticlele și dozele?

   pot suh re-tur-NEZ a-ICH STI-kle-le shi DO-ze-le

   Can I return bottles and cans here?

   Usage

   Romania runs a deposit-return scheme, SGR ("Sistemul Garanție-Returnare"): bring back eligible PET bottles, cans and glass and you get the deposit refunded. Larger shops have reverse-vending machines; small ones take them over the counter. Look for the SGR mark on the label

   Grammar Note

   Romanian expresses ability with "a putea + să + subjunctive" rather than with an infinitive as other Romance languages do. The plural definite article "-le" is likewise suffixed: "sticle" → "sticlele"

10. Cât este garanția pentru o sticlă?

    kut ES-te ga-ran-TSI-a PEN-tru o STI-kluh

    How much is the deposit on a bottle?

    Usage

    The SGR deposit is a flat 50 bani (0.5 lei) regardless of container type and appears as a separate "Garanție SGR" line on the receipt. Returning the empties produces a voucher you can spend in the shop or cash out — worth doing even on a short stay

    Grammar Note

    "Garanție" takes the definite article as "garanția". The word covers both a warranty and a returnable deposit, and supplies the "G" in the scheme's name SGR. Note again that "ț" is pronounced "ts"

11. Puteți să încălziți asta la microunde?

    pu-TETS suh un-kuhl-ZITS AS-ta la mi-kro-UN-de

    Could you heat this up in the microwave?

    Usage

    Heating food is not a standard service in Romanian corner shops and some will decline. A "patiserie" (pastry and savoury shop) or a petrol-station shop is a better bet for something hot. Otherwise you will hear "Nu avem cuptor cu microunde"

    Grammar Note

    This is the "a putea + să + subjunctive" request pattern, where the second-person plural subjunctive ends in "-iți". "Microunde" is "micro" + "unde" (waves); the appliance itself is a "cuptor cu microunde" — a microwave oven

12. O cafea la pachet, vă rog.

    o ka-FEA la pa-KET, vuh rog

    One coffee to go, please

    Usage

    Romanian corner shops and petrol stations keep a coffee machine, advertised as "cafea la pachet". The phrase "la pachet" works for takeaway food of any kind. Give the size as "mică" (small) or "mare" (large)

    Grammar Note

    "Vă rog" literally means "I ask you (plural)" and is the polite form matching "dumneavoastră"; with someone you know well it becomes "te rog". "La pachet" literally means "as a package"

13. Până la ce oră se vinde alcool?

    PUH-nuh la che O-ruh se VIN-de al-ko-OL

    Until what time is alcohol sold?

    Usage

    Romania has no nationwide night-time ban and a non-stop shop will generally sell alcohol at any hour, though municipalities can restrict hours or places by local ordinance, and rules apply around polling stations on election days. The legal drinking age is 18

    Grammar Note

    "Se vinde" uses the reflexive "se" to form a passive — a construction shared across the Romance languages. In "alcool" the two o's are pronounced separately, giving roughly "al-ko-ol"

14. Îmi arătați un act de identitate?

    um a-ruh-TATS un akt de i-den-ti-TA-te

    Could you show me some ID?

    Usage

    Said by staff. The legal age for alcohol and tobacco in Romania is 18, and staff will ask anyone who looks young; as a visitor, show your passport. Romanians call their own ID card a "buletin"

    Grammar Note

    "Îmi" is a dative clitic pronoun placed before the verb. Romanian has largely lost noun cases but retains dative forms in its pronouns. The letters "î" and "â" spell the same sound, with "î" used at the start and end of words

15. Nu uitați bonul fiscal!

    nu uy-TATS BO-nul fis-KAL

    Don't forget your receipt!

    Usage

    Said by staff. Romanian law requires shops to issue a "bon fiscal" (fiscal receipt), so you will always be handed one. The government runs a receipt lottery, "Loteria bonurilor fiscale", and locals keep their receipts for the draw

    Grammar Note

    A negative command to someone addressed formally is "nu + second-person plural". Notably, the familiar negative imperative instead uses the infinitive: "Nu uita!". "Bon" is a borrowing from French

16. Unde este ieșirea de urgență?

    UN-de ES-te ye-SHI-rea de ur-JEN-tsuh

    Where is the emergency exit?

    Usage

    Romanian corner shops are often tucked into basements or cramped units of apartment blocks, sometimes with only one way out. Since the 2015 nightclub fire, fire regulation and public awareness have tightened sharply and escape routes must be signposted. Worth locating when you enter a basement shop

    Grammar Note

    "Ieșire" (exit), a noun from the verb "a ieși" (to go out), takes the definite article as "ieșirea". The letters "ș" and "ț" spell "sh" and "ts"; both correctly use a comma below, and are distinct from the cedilla forms ş and ţ

17. Care este termenul de valabilitate?

    KA-re YES-te TER-me-nul de va-la-bi-li-TA-te

    What is the expiry date?

    Usage

    Near-date goods are shelved with a discount sticker. Packaging reads "Expiră la" (expires on) or "A se consuma de preferință înainte de" (best consumed before) — the latter is a quality date, not a hard cut-off

    Grammar Note

    The interrogative "care" normally means "which one" among options, but "Care este…?" also serves as a set phrase for "what is…?". "Termen" is masculine and takes the definite article as "termenul"

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