Italian and Romanian: 23 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Italian | Romanian |
|---|---|---|---|
| un/un/ | a, an | #7 | #14 |
| unait /ˈu.na/ro /ˈuna/ | one | #12 | #239 |
| cuiit /ku.i/ro /kuj/ | whose | #142 | #768 |
| voiit /ˈvo.i/ro [voj] | you | #150 | #54 |
| problemait /proˈblɛ.ma/ro /proˈblema/ | problem | #259 | #361 |
| oreit /ˈo.re/ro /ˈoɾe/ | hour | #401 | #381 |
| ieriit /ˈjɛ.ri/ro /ˈjerʲ/ | yesterday | #446 | #621 |
| vedeit /ˈve.de/ro [ˈvede] | to see | #696 | #908 |
| voce/ˈvo.t͡ʃe/ | voice | #710 | #1,587 |
| specialeit /speˈt͡ʃa.le/ro /spetˈʃjale/ | special | #767 | #1,797 |
| credeit /ˈkre.de/ro [ˈkre.de] | to believe | #798 | #398 |
| testit /ˈtɛst/ro /ˈtest/ | test | #1,063 | #1,433 |
| gayit /ˈɡɛj/ro [ɡej] | gay | #1,089 | #1,675 |
| clubit /ˈklab/ro /ˈklub/ | club | #1,102 | #1,129 |
| reginait /reˈd͡ʒi.na/ro [reˈd͡ʒi.na] | queen | #1,140 | #1,091 |
| nordit /ˈnɔrd/ro /nord/ | north | #1,264 | #1,008 |
| sexyit /ˈsɛk.si/ro [ˈseksi] | sexy | #1,315 | #1,463 |
| sudit /ˈsud/ro /sud/ | south | #1,355 | #1,046 |
| ideeit /iˈdɛ.e/ro /iˈde.e/ | idea | #1,512 | #333 |
| verde/ˈver.de/ | green | #1,581 | #1,275 |
| pantaloniit /pan.taˈlo.ni/ro /ˌpantaˈlonʲʲ/ | pants, trousers | #1,625 | #1,712 |
| taxiit /ˈtak.si/ro /tak.ˈsi/ | taxi | #1,656 | #1,401 |
| camionit /ˈka.mjon/ro /ka.miˈon/ | lorry, truck | #1,795 | #1,664 |
The speaker plays the voice the LangX app uses for that language — synthesised, not a native speaker, so treat it as a guide.
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.