Romanian uses two letters for the same central vowel: î and â. In the current standard, position usually decides the spelling: în (in), mână (hand), and a urî (to hate). For the wider set of Romanian diacritics, see Romanian diacritics.
How do you choose between î and â?
Write î at the beginning or end of a word, and write â inside an ordinary word; keep î inside a compound or prefixed word when the next element begins with î.
- At the beginning of a word, write î: în (in), încă (still), înger (angel), a începe (to begin).
- At the end of a word, write î. This is especially visible in infinitives ending in -î: a coborî (to descend), a hotărî (to decide), a urî (to hate).
- Inside an ordinary word, write â: mână (hand), pâine (bread), râu (river), România (Romania).
- After a prefix or in a compound, keep î when the element that follows begins with î: reîncălzi (to reheat), neînțeles (not understood), bineînțeles (of course).
| Position or structure | Letter | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Word-initial | î | în, încă, înțelege (to understand) |
| Word-final | î | a coborî, a hotărî (to decide) |
| Ordinary word-internal position | â | mână, câmp (field), român (Romanian) |
| Beginning of a later element after a prefix or in a compound | î | reîncălzi, bineînțeles (of course) |
| More than one position in one word | Both can occur | a se întâmpla (to happen), preîntâmpina (to prevent) |
What happens in word families?
The spelling can change when a word gains a suffix or a grammatical ending. The infinitive a coborî keeps î at the end, but related forms place the vowel inside the word and therefore use â: coborâre (descent), coborând (descending), and coborât (descended).
A prefix does not automatically turn î into â. If the base begins with î, that î remains visible after the prefix: încălzi (to heat) becomes reîncălzi (to reheat), and înțelege (to understand) becomes subînțelege (to understand implicitly). A single word can therefore contain both letters, as in preîntâmpina (to prevent).
Do î and â sound different?
No. In current Romanian spelling, î and â represent the same vowel sound. Their difference is orthographic: the letter helps show where the vowel stands in the word or how the word is built. Do not choose between them by trying to hear two different sounds.
What about older spellings and names?
The current standard uses â in ordinary word-internal positions, following the Romanian Academy's post-1993 norm. Older books and some publications may use î throughout a word; this is an older spelling convention, not the default for new neutral writing. A person's legal or family surname may preserve its established spelling, so copy a name from an authoritative source rather than regularizing it yourself.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not write ân at the beginning of a normal word: the standard form is în (in).
- Do not use â at the end of an infinitive: write a urî, not a urâ.
- Do not replace the interior â in mână or câmp with î in current standard writing.
- Do not flatten a prefixed form such as reîncălzi into reâncălzi: the base begins with î, so that letter remains after the prefix.
Which word begins with î because the vowel is word-initial?
- mână
- în
- râu
- România
În begins with the target vowel, so current standard spelling uses î at the beginning of the word.
Complete the sentence with the standard spelling: Vrem să ___ mâncarea.
- reâncălzi
- reîncălzi
- reîncălâzi
- reâncălâzi
The base încălzi begins with î, and the prefix re- does not remove it: reîncălzi.
Which sentence uses the standard form of the past participle of a coborî?
- El a coborât repede.
- El a coborît repede.
- El a coborâ repede.
- El a coborîd repede.
The infinitive ends in î, but the past participle places the vowel inside the word: coborât.
Choose the correctly written current-standard sentence.
- Ea vrea să reâncălzească supa.
- Ea vrea să reîncălzască supa.
- Ea vrea să reîncălzească supa.
- Ea vrea să reîncălzească supâ.
The base încălzi keeps î after re-, and the noun is supa, so the complete standard sentence is option 3.
Which pair follows the current standard?
- ân and mână
- în and mînă
- a urâ and câmp
- a urî and câmp
Use î at the beginning of în and at the end of a urî, but use â in the ordinary interior of câmp and mână.