Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA |
|---|---|
| puțin | /puˈt͡sin/ |
| un pic |
Both forms are used to express an action or state occurring to a small extent or degree. When expressing a small amount of a noun, you can use the pronoun puțin or the phrase un pic de.
Which one should you use?
puțin is a versatile term suitable for both formal and neutral contexts. In contrast, un pic is more colloquial and common in spoken, informal Romanian, often translating more naturally to 'a little bit' in English.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adverb meaning 'to a small extent', puțin is invariable. However, its form changes when used as an adjective to describe quantities: use puțină for a small amount of a feminine noun, puțini for a few masculine plural nouns and puține for a few feminine plural nouns. Additionally, when using the phrase un pic to modify a noun, you must add the preposition 'de', as in un pic de…
How do you pronounce it?
/puˈtsin/
Did you know?
- The word puțin might actually trace its roots back to a term for a 'teeny boy'.
- The phrase un pic is used in Romania to soften requests or complaints, acting as a social lubricant to avoid sounding too demanding.
- A Romanian speaker might use un pic as a vague time marker to mean 'in a short while' rather than just a quantity.
Examples in context
- Am băut puțin vin.I've had a little wine.This sentence shows how to use puțin to describe an amount of a noun.Tatoeba #8608228 by CataG, translation #2359805 by CK
- Mă simt un pic amețit.I feel a little woozy.This sentence demonstrates using un pic to modify an adjective.Tatoeba #3209087 by ijikure, translation #2325971 by CK
- Eu cânt la pian puțin.I play the piano a little.This sentence shows puțin used as an adverb to describe how often or how much one performs an action.Tatoeba #8605704 by CataG, translation #255456 by CK
- Da, vorbesc un pic de românăYes, I speak a little Romanian
- Da, înțeleg puținYes, I understand a little
- știu un picI know a little
- Pot să vorbesc un pic de română.I can speak a little Romanian.
- Știu un pic de istorie românească.I know a little bit of Romanian history.
- 81 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Stefan are talking about their progress in learning a language.
- ElenaVorbești română?Do you speak Romanian?
- StefanDa, dar vorbesc doar puțin.Yes, but I only speak a little.
- ElenaEu أيضاً învăț puțin în fiecare zi.I also study a little every day.
- StefanEste o limbă foarte frumoasă.It is a very beautiful language.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “a little” translations and entries puțin, un pic, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pic, puțin, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
