foarte bine
/ˈfo̯ar.te ˈbi.ne/word by word
The Romanian phrase for "very good" is foarte bine.
foarte bine is an expression used to describe a high quality of performance or a positive state of being. It can also be used as an interjection to express approval or to signal that you understand a point during a conversation.
Which one should you use?
While English uses "very good" for both quality and performance, Romanian distinguishes between the adverb foarte bine (meaning "very well" or doing well) and the adjective phrase foarte bun (meaning "very good" or tasting good).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase foarte bine is an adverbial expression. If you are using the adjective to describe a noun, you must use foarte bun for masculine nouns and foarte bună for feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈfo̯ar.te ˈbi.ne/. It has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word foarte comes from the Latin word for 'strong'. Over time the meaning shifted from describing physical strength to acting as an intensifier for 'very'.
- While foarte bine is the standard way to say 'very well', Romanians often use the word super as a colloquial intensifier in casual speech.
- The word bine is a direct linguistic descendant of the Latin 'bene', making it a close relative of the English word 'benefit'.
Examples in context
- Asta nu e foarte bine.That's just not very good.This sentence shows how to use foarte bine in a negative context.Tatoeba #5079910 by fathe, translation #5079335 by CK
- Ne-am simțit foarte bine.We had a very good time.This sentence shows the phrase used to describe a positive experience.Tatoeba #13616831 by Ioana_Dobre, translation #9941593 by CK
- Foarte bine!Very good!This sentence shows the phrase used as an exclamation of approval.Tatoeba #9209606 by elenacristina260, translation #5248433 by Jesse
- Felicitări, ai obținut un rezultat remarcabil!Congratulations, you have achieved a remarkable result!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrei asks Elena about her progress with a new project.
- AndreiCum merge proiectul tău, Elena?How is your project going, Elena?
- ElenaMerge foarte bine, mulțumesc!It is going very well, thank you!
- AndreiMă bucur să aud asta.I am glad to hear that.
- ElenaSunt foarte bine organizată acum.I am very well organized now.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (foarte, bine) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bine, foarte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
