Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bărbat | /bərˈbat/ | masculine |
| om | /ˈom/ | masculine |
Both terms refer to an adult male human, but they are used in different contexts. bărbat focuses on the biological sex or gender of a person, while om is used to refer to a human being in a general sense or to discuss a person's character and morality. Additionally, om is the name for the genus Homo.
Which one should you use?
Use bărbat when you are specifically referring to the biological sex or gender of an adult male. Use om when referring to a human being in a general sense or when discussing a person's character and morality.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word frate can be used between friends as a casual and friendly term for man.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of bărbat is bărbați. The plural form of om is oameni, which can mean 'men' or 'people'. When bărbat is used in the definite singular dative or genitive case, it changes to bărbatului.
How do you pronounce it?
/bərˈbat/
When do people say it?
To get someone's attention or express frustration, you can use the form omule as a vocative interjection, similar to saying 'man!' or 'dude!' in English. Other interjections used for emphasis include nene and tată.
Did you know?
- The word bărbat is actually a description of physical appearance, originating from the Latin word for 'bearded'.
- While om means 'man' or 'person', it also serves as a completely different part of speech as an auxiliary verb form.
- You can use the words nene or tată as colorful interjections to address a man, even if you are not related to him.
Examples in context
- Sunt un om liber.I'm a free man.This sentence demonstrates the use of om to describe a person's status.Tatoeba #3175090 by radubradu, translation #25504 by CK
- El este un om rău.He's a bad man.This sentence shows how om is used to describe a person's character.Tatoeba #8605719 by CataG, translation #5933869 by mailohilohi
- Ai găsit un om bun.You've found a good man.This sentence illustrates om being used to describe a person's quality.Tatoeba #5177800 by fathe, translation #632481 by CK
- Domnul Popescu este un bărbat respectat în comunitate.Mr. Popescu is a respected man in the community.
- 135 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maria and Andrei are walking in a park.
- MariaAndrei, vezi bărbatul acela de la bancă?Andrei, do you see that man on the bench?
- AndreiDa, îl văd pe acel bărbat.Yes, I see that man.
- MariaPare un bărbat foarte singur.He looks like a very lonely man.
- AndreiPoate are nevoie de companie.Maybe he needs company.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “man” translations and entries bărbat, om, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bărbat, om, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
