ROMÂNĂ · Salut
Learn Romanian online with a private tutor
A Romance language that kept its cases, and since 2025 a B1 certificate for descendants who never held Romanian citizenship.
- Native name
- Română
- Speakers
- 24M
- Hours to fluency
- ~552
- Lesson length
- 25 / 50 / 80
How long does Romanian actually take?
The US Foreign Service Institute has been timing this for decades, and the figure everyone quotes is only half of what they publish. FSI puts Romanian at 24 weeks — 552 classroom hours for an English speaker to reach professional working proficiency. But FSI also states that a typical week is 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, so the real total is closer to 960 hours of work. The pace below divides that full total rather than the classroom half, which is why these numbers are longer than the ones you have seen elsewhere:
One lesson a week
about 7.4 years
≈2.5 hours a week including homework
Two lessons a week
about 3.7 years
≈5 hours a week including homework
Intensive — daily
about 1 year
≈15 hours a week including homework
Worth saying plainly: that figure is for full professional proficiency, which is a much higher bar than most learners need. Holding a real conversation in Romanian usually arrives at somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
What the Romanian levels mean
Teachers describe lessons using the Common European Framework. Not sure of yours? Your teacher will work it out with you in your first lesson.
- A1Beginner
Introduce yourself and handle very simple, predictable exchanges.
- A2Elementary
Cope with routine tasks — shopping, directions, simple description of your background.
- B1Intermediate
Handle most travel situations and explain opinions on familiar topics.
- B2Upper-intermediate
Hold a fluent, spontaneous conversation with a native speaker without strain on either side.
- C1Advanced
Use the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.
- C2Proficient
Understand virtually everything heard or read, and express yourself with precision.
Kinds of Romanian lesson
Teachers list what they specialise in, so you can match on purpose rather than on price alone.
Romanian tutors for beginners
Teachers who work with absolute beginners every day and can run a first Romanian lesson entirely in a language you share.
Conversational Romanian tutors
Lessons that are mostly you talking. For learners who can read Romanian but freeze when someone answers back.
Business Romanian tutors
Meetings, email, negotiation and presentations — Romanian for the situations your job actually puts you in.
Romanian tutors for kids
Teachers experienced with children, who keep Romanian lessons short, build them around games, and keep a parent in the loop.
Romanian exam preparation tutors
Teachers who know the Romanian exam formats, mark to the real rubric, and work backwards from your test date.
Intensive Romanian courses
Several Romanian lessons a week with homework between them, for learners with a deadline rather than a hobby.
Native Romanian speaking tutors
Teachers who grew up speaking Romanian, for accent work, idiom and the register textbooks never cover.
Romanian grammar tutors
Focused work on the Romanian structures that keep breaking, with exercises built from your own mistakes.
Romanian exams we have written about
Romanian citizenship interview
The Citizenship Commission's interview on Romanian, culture and civilisation, the Constitution and the anthem
Questions about learning Romanian
How long does it take to learn Romanian?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Romanian at roughly 552 hours of study to reach professional working proficiency for an English speaker. At two lessons a week plus homework — call it five hours — that is about 2.1 years. Conversational comfort arrives much earlier, usually somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
How much do Romanian lessons cost?
Each Romanian teacher decides which lesson lengths they offer and sets a price for each — you see both before booking. Many teachers also sell lesson packages at their own price, usually cheaper per lesson. If you are still choosing, you can top up your wallet instead and spend the balance with any teacher — nothing is tied to one person.
Should I learn Romanian with a native speaker?
For pronunciation, idiom and register, yes — a native ear catches things a textbook cannot. For grammar explanations early on, a teacher who learned Romanian as a second language themselves is often clearer, because they remember finding it hard. Many learners use both, and there is no rule against switching.
Can I learn Romanian from absolute zero?
Yes. Filter for teachers who work with beginners and your first lessons will be run partly in a language you already share, shifting into Romanian as you gain ground. You do not need to prepare anything beforehand.
Which Romanian exams can I prepare for?
We have written guides to Romanian citizenship interview (The Citizenship Commission's interview on Romanian, culture and civilisation, the Constitution and the anthem), each read on the examining body's own pages.
Free Romanian guides
All Romanian guides →- CostAny level
How much do Romanian lessons cost?
Preply's Romanian page: from $9, average $26; its code tells search engines $39. Romania's free 216-hour course is for international-protection holders.
- ExamAny level
Romanian courses for foreign workers: what OUG 32/2026 makes employers provide
OUG 32/2026 makes employers of non-EU workers in Romania provide Romanian courses: 6 hours a week for at least 6 months. Fines, costs and the gaps.
- ExamB1 for the descendants' route
Romanian citizenship: the recorded interview, and the B1 certificate descendants now need
Romania's recorded citizenship interview, and the B1 certificate that descendants who were never citizens must hand in by 14 March 2027.
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