Romanian uses a capital letter at the start of a sentence and for proper names. Common words inside a sentence normally stay lowercase unless a specific convention requires a capital. Compare România (Romania), a proper name, with română (Romanian, the language or adjective). In Luni, Elena merge la București. (On Monday, Elena is going to Bucharest.), Luni, Elena, and București are capitalized for different reasons.
When does Romanian use a capital letter?
Use a capital letter for the first word of an independent sentence. In a proper name, capitalize the parts required by that name's convention. Ordinary common words remain lowercase inside a sentence.
| Context | Romanian example | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Start of a sentence | Astăzi plouă. (It is raining today.) | The first word is capitalized. |
| Person's name | Maria Popescu | The given name and family name are proper-name elements. |
| Place or country name | România, București, Marea Neagră | The name identifies one place, not a general noun. |
| Institution or organization | Universitatea din București | The institution and city name are capitalized; the linking word din stays lowercase. |
| Named holiday | Crăciunul, Ziua Națională a României | A recognized holiday name follows its own proper-name pattern. |
| Title of a work | Amintiri din copilărie | Romanian does not capitalize every content word as English title style often does. |
Which everyday words stay lowercase?
Common nouns and adjectives inside an ordinary sentence use lowercase letters unless they are part of a proper name or another specifically named expression. Romanian applies this lowercase pattern to calendar words, languages, nationalities, and generic offices.
| Usually lowercase | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Days and months | luni, ianuarie | They are common nouns, not proper names. |
| Seasons | primăvară, vara | A season is normally a common noun. |
| Languages and nationalities | limba română, un student român | The country is România, but the language and adjective are common forms. |
| Generic job titles | profesorul, ministrul, președintele | A job title is lowercase when it is used generically in an ordinary sentence. |
| Generic geographic terms | orașul București, râul Olt, munții Carpați | The generic noun can stay lowercase when it keeps its ordinary meaning; the specific name is capitalized. |
How do names with several words work?
Do not capitalize every word automatically. First decide whether the expression is a proper name. Then follow the pattern for that kind of name. Linking words such as din, de, and a are often lowercase. Other words that belong to the name can be uppercase.
- In an institution name, capitalize the main name elements: Ministerul Afacerilor Externe (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Do not copy this official-name pattern to a generic phrase such as ministrul afacerilor externe (the foreign minister).
- In a geographical name, keep the name's internal capitals: Europa de Est (Eastern Europe) and Marea Neagră (the Black Sea). A generic phrase can be different: marea este calmă (the sea is calm).
- In a person's name, capitalize the name elements: Mihai Eminescu. A title or rank before the name is normally lowercase in an ordinary sentence: domnul Eminescu (Mr Eminescu), but formal correspondence may use Domnule Director (Dear Director).
- In a title such as Gramatica limbii române (The Grammar of Romanian), capitalize the first word and any proper names inside it. Keep the other words lowercase. Official documents, holidays, and some named programs can have their own prescribed pattern.
What changes in formal address?
In ordinary prose, the polite pronoun is dumneavoastră (you, polite) with a lowercase initial. In a letter or formal request, writers may use Dumneavoastră to show respect, and formal address formulas may capitalize a title such as Domnule Președinte (Mr President). This is a politeness convention, not a reason to capitalize every job title in every sentence.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not capitalize days, months, or seasons just because English does: write marți, în aprilie, vara, not English-style capitals in the middle of a sentence.
- Do not write every word in a Romanian title with a capital: Amintiri din copilărie and Gramatica limbii române keep the ordinary words lowercase unless the name itself requires a capital.
- Do not confuse a country name with its language or adjective: write România, but limba română and un film românesc.
- Do not capitalize a generic office automatically. Write Astăzi președintele a sosit (today, the president arrived) in ordinary prose. Use a capital only when a formal-address or official-name convention calls for it.
- Do not drop Romanian diacritics when a letter changes case: Școala începe luni. (School starts on Monday.) begins with uppercase Ș, not plain S.
Which sentence uses the correct capitalization for a day, a person, and a city?
- Luni, Elena merge la București.
- luni, Elena merge la București.
- Luni, elena merge la București.
- Luni, Elena merge la bucurești.
Luni begins the sentence, while Elena and București are proper names. A day name is normally lowercase inside a sentence. Here Luni is capitalized because it is the first word. Each other option lowercases one of the required capitals.
Choose the standard phrase for “in January” when it appears inside a sentence.
- în Ianuarie
- În ianuarie
- în ianuarie
- În Ianuarie
Inside a sentence, the preposition în and the month name ianuarie are lowercase. The uppercase În would be correct only if it began the sentence, not because of the month.
Which option correctly distinguishes the country name from the language adjective?
- românia and română
- România and română
- România and Română
- românia and Română
România is a proper country name and takes a capital. română is the common language name or adjective and is lowercase in an ordinary sentence.
Which title follows the usual Romanian pattern rather than English-style title capitalization?
- Amintiri Din Copilărie
- amintiri din copilărie
- Amintiri din Copilărie
- Amintiri din copilărie
The first word of the title is capitalized, while the ordinary words din and copilărie remain lowercase. Romanian does not normally capitalize every content word in a title.
Which sentence uses a generic job title correctly in ordinary prose?
- Astăzi Președintele a sosit la București.
- Astăzi președintele a sosit la București.
- Astăzi președintele a sosit la bucurești.
- Astăzi președintele A sosit la București.
In ordinary prose, the sentence-internal generic job title președintele is lowercase. Astăzi begins the sentence, and București is a proper name. The second option follows all three capitalization rules.