șobolan
/ʃo.boˈlan/masculine
The Romanian word for rat is șobolan.
șobolan is a masculine noun used to refer to the rodent known as a rat.
Meaning: rodent (noun)
Which one should you use?
While șobolan refers specifically to a large rat, the word șoarece is used to refer to a mouse.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of șobolan is șobolani. To express possession or the relationship 'of the rat', use the singular genitive form șobolanului. To express 'of the rats', use the plural genitive form șobolanilor.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃo.boˈlan/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word șobolan is unexpectedly related to the word for a luxurious fur known as 'sable'.
- Romanian has a specific expression a face șobolănie, which means to engage in sneaky, underhanded, or dishonest behavior.
- In Romanian, calling someone a șobolan is a common insult used to describe a traitor or a snitch.
Examples in context
- Dacă aveți probleme cu șobolanii sau șoarecii, îi puteți speria cu ajutorul ultrasunetelor.If you have rat or mouse problems, you can scare them off with ultrasound.This sentence shows how to use șobolan when discussing rodent problems.Tatoeba #8961578 by elenacristina260, translation #8958422 by DJ_Saidez
- Pisica miroase un șobolan.The cat smells a rat.This sentence uses șobolan in a simple observation.Tatoeba #12511277 by megamanenm, translation #12506827 by Orange
- Pisica neagră mănâncă un șobolan alb.The black cat is eating a white rat.This sentence uses șobolan to describe a white rat being eaten by a cat.Tatoeba #10734319 by megamanenm, translation #8566167 by guavalava
- Am văzut un șobolan uriaș în spatele blocului.I saw a giant rat behind the building.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Andreea are cleaning their basement.
- GabrielUite, am văzut un șobolan acolo!Look, I saw a rat over there!
- AndreeaUnde? Nu văd nimic, Gabriel.Where? I don't see anything, Gabriel.
- GabrielA fugit rapid după cutii.It ran quickly behind the boxes.
- AndreeaTrebuie să chemăm un expert pentru șobolanul acesta.We need to call an expert for this rat.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rat” translations and entries șobolan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries șobolan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
