rece
[ˈret͡ʃe]
The Romanian word for cold is rece.
rece is an adjective used to describe something that has a low temperature, such as an object or a person. If you want to describe a refreshing, mild or pleasant coolness, you can use răcoare.
Meaning: having a low temperature (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use rece to describe the temperature of an object or person, but use frig to describe the sensation of coldness in the environment or weather.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective rece is invariant in gender, meaning it stays the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. To express a comparison, use mai rece to say 'colder'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use rece to say 'It is cold' (referring to weather), but in Romanian, you should use the verb a frig or the noun frig (e.g., E frig afară).
Did you know?
- The word rece is a direct descendant of the Latin word recēns, making it a linguistic relative of the English word 'recent'.
- In Romanian, calling someone rece can imply they are calculating or indifferent, similar to the English 'cold-hearted', but it is more frequently used to describe a lack of passion in a romantic relationship.
- The expression a avea sânge rece refers to someone who remains unnervingly calm or heartless under pressure, literally meaning 'to have cold blood'.
Examples in context
- Casa mea e tare rece.My house is very cold.This sentence uses rece to describe the temperature of a house.Tatoeba #5189793 by fathe, translation #801147 by Zifre
- Apa este rece astăzi.The water's cold today.This sentence uses rece to describe the temperature of water.Tatoeba #6585502 by elenacristina260, translation #6569153 by CK
- Va fi destul de rece.It's going to be quite cold.This sentence uses rece to describe a future temperature state.Tatoeba #8921755 by elenacristina260, translation #7421431 by Ricardo14
- Este frig afarăIt's cold outside.
- A fost ger mare săptămâna trecutăIt was very cold last week.
- Sunt foarte frigurosI am very sensitive to cold.
- 32 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a cafe in the morning.
- IoanaCe cafea rece ai comandat!What a cold coffee you ordered!
- AlexandruDa, e foarte rece.Yes, it is very cold.
- IoanaVrei să îți aduc una caldă?Do you want me to bring you a hot one?
- AlexandruNu, mulțumesc, Ioana.No, thank you, Ioana.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cold” translations and entries rece, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rece, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
