roumain
/ʁu.mɛ̃/masculine
roumain is the French word for Romanian.
The word roumain refers to the official language of Romania. It can also function as an adjective to describe things relating to Romania, its people or its language.
Meaning: official language of Romania (name)
Which one should you use?
In French, the capitalization of the word depends on how it is used. When used as an adjective, such as in le peuple roumain, it is not capitalized. However, when used as a noun to refer to a person, the word is capitalized, such as un Roumain for a Romanian man.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes based on gender. When describing something or someone using the feminine gender, the form is roumaine. For example, the feminine form of the adjective and the noun for a Romanian woman is roumaine. When referring to a Romanian man as a noun, use the capitalized masculine form Roumain.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁu.mɛ̃/ (2 syllables)
Did you know?
- The French word roumain is derived from the word romain, meaning 'Roman'. This reflects the historical identity of the Romanian people as descendants of the Roman Empire's settlers.
- French is often used as a diplomatic bridge for Romanian speakers because of the two languages' shared Latin roots. Many Romanians historically learned French to access Western European culture and philosophy.
- Because Romanian and French are both Romance languages, a French speaker can often recognize the 'skeleton' of a Romanian sentence even if they have never studied le roumain.
Examples in context
- Parles-tu le roumain ?Do you speak Romanian?This sentence is useful for asking if someone speaks the language using roumain.Tatoeba #8735094 by Micsmithel, translation #5871056 by mailohilohi
- Sa petite amie est roumaine.His girlfriend is Romanian.This sentence uses roumain as an adjective to describe a person's nationality.Tatoeba #3744105 by GB3, translation #3744059 by Ricardo14
- J'apprends le roumain.I'm learning Romanian.This sentence shows the use of roumain when talking about learning the language.Tatoeba #8659187 by Micsmithel, translation #5780380 by mailohilohi
- J'ai étudié la langue roumaine à l'universitéI studied the Romanian language at university
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are talking about their linguistics studies.
- NathanEst-ce que le roumain est difficile ?Is Romanian difficult?
- ManonC'est une langue complexe, mais passionnante.It is a complex language, but exciting.
- NathanTu étudies le roumain avec moi ?Are you studying Romanian with me?
- ManonOui, Nathan, je vais essayer.Yes, Nathan, I will try.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “romanian” translations and entries roumain, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries roumain, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
