Learn Romanian in London

Romanian Language Courses at LSI Language School in Central London

Romanian is a Romance language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family and is spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova but also in the Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria.  In fact, Romanian has much in common with languages such as French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.  Out of these languages, Romanian is closest to Italian, with speakers of Romanian seeming to understand Italian more easily than the other way around.

Romanian enjoys official status in Romania, Moldova and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Serbia).  The Romanian spoken in the Republic of Moldova is identical to the Romanian spoken in Romania except for minor differences in spelling.  Romanian is also an official or administrative language in various communities and organisations (such as the Latin Union and the European Union).

Romania is situated in south-eastern Europe and shares borders with Hungary and Serbia to the west, the Ukraine and Moldova to the north-east, and Bulgaria to the south.  Romania has a stretch of sea coast along the Black Sea, and the eastern and southern Carpathian mountains run through its centre.

Romania has been a member of the European Union since 1 January 2007.  Since 2000, the Romanian economy has enjoyed high economic growth, low unemployment and declining inflation.  In 2006, GDP growth was recorded at 7.7%, one of the highest rates in Europe.  Unemployment in Romania was at 5.0% in September 2006 which is very low compared to other European countries of a similar size such as Poland, France, Germany and Spain.  Foreign debt is also comparatively low, at 20.3% of GDP.  Exports have increased substantially in the past few years, with a 25% year-on-year rise in exports in the first quarter of 2006.

The Republic of Moldova is located between Romania to the west and the Ukraine to the north, east and south.  Moldova was historically part of the Principality of Moldavia which was an independent State from the 14th century to 1859, when it merged with Wallachia to become the basis of the modern Romanian state.  At the end of WWII, Moldova was annexed by the Soviet Union and was known as the Moldavian SSR between 1945 and 1991, when it declared its independence on 27th August 1991.

However by 1993 Moldova was already beginning to distance itself from Romania.  The 1994 constitution used the term "Moldovan language" instead of "Romanian" and changed the national anthem to "Limba noastra".  The government has stated that Moldova has European aspirations but there has been little progress toward EU membership.  On 1 May 2004, many EU enthusiasts waving EU flags found their flags confiscated by police and some were arrested under the pretext of "anti-nationalism".  Moldova's economy is heavily dependent on agricultural produce, Moldovan wine and tobacco.  Moldova imports all its petroleum, coal and natural gas, mainly from Russia.

Whether you are learning Romanian for business, leisure or academic purpose, at LSI we will ensure that your Romanian language course at our school in Central London is a successful and enjoyable experience.

• Your current level of Romanian and training requirements will be carefully assessed.
• Our Romanian tutors, who are all highly qualified, have many years of experience teaching Romanian at all levels.
• Your course will be tailor-made to meet your specific training needs, ensuring that it is relevant, practical, effective and fun.
• Our tutors use a wide range of up-to-date teaching materials including a variety of books, authentic documents, audio and video recordings.