rău
/rəw/
The English word "bad" is translated into Romanian as rău.
rău is used to express that something is unfavorable or negative. For even stronger emphasis, you can use foarte rău to mean "very bad".
Meaning: unfavorable, negative (adj)
Which one should you use?
rău functions both as an adjective meaning "bad" and as the standard adverbial form meaning "badly".
How does it change in a sentence?
While rău is the default form, it changes to rea when it is modifying a feminine singular noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/rəw/
Did you know?
- The word rău can be used to describe physical pain, such as in the phrase mi-e rău, which literally translates to 'to me it is bad' but actually means 'I feel sick' or 'I feel unwell'.
- The Romanian word rău shares an unexpected root with the Latin word for 'defendant' or 'accused', suggesting that being 'bad' was once intrinsically tied to legal guilt.
- While English uses 'bad' to describe many things, Romanian speakers often use rău in religious or spiritual contexts to describe 'evil' or 'wickedness', giving the word a much heavier moral weight.
Examples in context
- Asta a fost rău.That was bad.This sentence shows how to use rău to describe a past situation.Tatoeba #8429665 by fathe, translation #2549751 by CK
- Este un semn rău.It's a bad omen.This sentence demonstrates using rău to describe an omen.Tatoeba #6620822 by elenacristina260, translation #5000870 by CK
- El este un om rău.He's a bad man.This sentence illustrates using rău to describe a person.Tatoeba #8605719 by CataG, translation #5933869 by mailohilohi
- Experiența mea în acel restaurant a fost neplăcută.My experience in that restaurant was unpleasant.
- Aceasta este o situație nedorită.This is an undesirable situation.
- Filmul a fost aiurea.The movie was bad.
- Eu am avut o zi prostă.I had a bad day.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andreea and Gabriel are discussing some news they just heard.
- AndreeaAi auzit noutea? Este un lucru rău.Did you hear the news? It is a bad thing.
- GabrielDa, sunt foarte îngrijorât pentru el.Yes, I am very worried about him.
- AndreeaSper că nu va fi prea rău.I hope it won't be too bad.
- GabrielSă sperăm că totul va fi bine.Let's hope everything will be fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries rău, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rău, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
