* Apa trece, pietrele rămân.
o Translation: "Water flows, but rocks remain."
* Apără-mă de găini, că de câini nu mă tem.
o Translation: "Defend me from chickens, for dogs I'm not afraid of."
o Note: it refers to people: the chicken are the mean people, the treacherous friends, the dogs are the known enemies
* Aruncă binele în stânga şi în dreapta, şi la nevoie o să-l găseşti.
o Translation: "Throw the good to your left and right, and you'll find it when you'll need it."
* Ascultă cu urechile, vezi cu ochii, dar taci cu gura.
o Translation: "Use your ears to listen, use your eyes to see, but use your mouth to shut up."
* Dacă tăceai filosof rămâneai.
o Translation: "Had you kept silent you would have passed for a wise man."
* Banu-i ochiu' dracului
o Translation: "Money is the devil's eye."
* Treaba lăsată de azi pe mâine, baltă rămâne.
o Translation: "Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today."
* Cine are carte, are parte!
o Translation: "Knowledge is power."
* Cine ştie carte, are patru ochi
o Translation: "The one who has knowledge, has four eyes."
* Azi fură un ou, mâine un bou!
o Translation: "He who steals an egg today, will steal an ox tomorrow!"
* Cine-i harnic şi munceşte are tot ce îşi doreşte. Cine fură şi nu-l prinde, are tot aşa!
o Translation: "The one who works hard has everything he wants. The one who steals and is not caught, has the same."
o Meaning: Life is not fair.
* La anul când o făta cârlanul! - sau - Când o fi bunica fată mare!
o Translation: "Next year when the lamb delivers - and - When my grandma will be a virgin again!"
o Meaning: Used to suggest something that will never happen.
* Câinele bătrân nu latră degeaba.
o Translation: "The old dog doesn't bark without reason."
* Câinele moare de drum lung şi prostul de grija altuia.
o Translation: "A dog dies from too much walking, a fool from worrying about other's business."
* Câinii latră, ursu' trece...
o Translation: "The dogs bark, the bear passes by..." (undisturbed)
* Până ce căţeaua nu ridică coada, câinele nu o miroase
o Translation: "Until the bitch raises her tail, the dogs don't smell her"
* Cine se scoală de dimineaţă, departe ajunge.
o Translation: "Early risers travel far away."
* Copii cuminţi şi babă frumoasă, cine-a mai vǎzut?!...
o Translation: "Quiet/obedient children and beautiful old woman, who did ever saw?!"
* Cu gându' la Maica Domnului şi cu mâna în straiţa omului...
o Translation: "With the thought at the Holy Virgin, with the hand in someone's pocket..."
o Meaning: Thinking holy things while doing sinful deeds.
* Dacă doi spun că eşti beat, du-te şi te culcă.
o Translation: "If two people say you're drunk, go to bed."
* Dai un ban dar stai în faţă!
o Translation: "You pay top dollar, but you get a front seat!"
* Dragostea e oarbă, dar căsătoria îi găseşte leacul.
o Translation: "Love is blind, but marriage finds its cure."
* Drumul spre iad e pavat cu intenţii bune.
o Translation: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
* Fereşte-mǎ, Doamne, de prieteni, cǎ de duşmani mǎ apǎr singur.
o Translation: "Defend me, Lord, from my friends, because from enemies I can defend myself."
* Fiecare pasăre, pe limba ei piere.
o Translation: "Every bird dies by its own tongue."
* Leneşu' mai mult aleargă -- Scumpu' mai mult păgubeşte
o Translation: "The lazy one runs more -- the stingy one loses more."
* Mâţa blândă zgârie rău.
o Translation: "The gentle cat scratches the worst."
* Nu da vrabia din mână pe cioara de pe gard.
o Translation: "Don't give the sparrow in the hand for the crow on the fence."
* Nu iese fum fără foc.
o Translation: "There's no smoke without fire."
* Nu măsura pe alţii cu palma ta.
o Translation: "Don't measure others with your own hand."
o Meaning: Some people may have reasons unknown to you for doing certain things.
* Nu poţi îndrepta lumea cu umărul.
o Translation: "You can't straighten the world with your shoulder."
* Nu te pune cu prostul că are mintea odihnită.
o Translation: "Don't argue with a fool, he has a rested mind."
* Nu vinde pielea ursului din pădure.
o Translation: "Don't sell the skin of the bear from the forest."
* Obişnuinţa... a doua natură !
o Translation: "The habit... the second nature."
* Ochii care nu se văd se uită...
o Translation: "The eyes which don't see each other, forget each other."
o Translation: "Out of sight, out of mind."
* Omul sfinţeşte locul.
o Translation: "The man blesses the place."
* Ori te poartă cum ţi-e vorba, ori vorbeşte cum ţi-e portul.
o Translation: "Either act as you speak, or speak as you act."
* Prietenul, la nevoie se cunoaşte!
o Translation: "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
* Prostul care nu-i fudul, parcă n-ar fi prost destul!
o Translation: "The fool who's not conceited, is not fool enough!"
* Râde ciob de oală spartă.
o Translation: "The splinter laughs at the broken pot."
* S-a dus baba cu colacii!
o Translation: The granny handing pretzels, is gone.
o Meaning: "There goes your chance!"
o Origin: It's a refrence to a traditional holiday similar to Halloween. Children gather outside in the night and they go around from house to house asking for "colaci"(a romanian form of pretzel)
* "S-a dus bou... şi s-a-ntors vacă !" (tatǎl lui Nică, în Ion Creangă-Amintiri din copilărie)
o Translation: "He went as an ox and came back as a cow."
o Meaning: Used for a person that spends a lot of time and money to study and gains nothing. (in Romanian, ox/cow is used for a person who lacks judgement, a fool)
o Origin: Wealthy romanians used to send their spoiled kids to Paris to study, but most of them came back unchanged or worse.
* Sângele, apă nu se face.
o Translation: "Blood doesn't turn into water."
o Meaning: Someone may have an advantage because of being someone else's relative.
* Stăpânul învaţă sluga hoţ.
o Translation: "The master turns the servant into a thief."
* Te îneci ca ţiganu' la mal.
o Translation: "You drown at the shore like the gypsy."
o Meaning: (referring to an assignment) you pass the most tasks, but you get stuck on an easy one near the end.
* Totu-i bine cand se termină cu bine.
o Translation: "All is well that ends well."
* Satu' arde şi baba se piaptănă.
o Translation: "The village is burning and the granny is combing her hair."
* Un prost încurcă, şi zece înţelepţi nu pot descurca"
o Translation: "One fool tangles and ten wise men cannot untangle."
* Necazul nu vine singur niciodată!.
o Translation: "The trouble never comes alone."
* Unde nu intră soarele pe geam, intră doctorul pe uşă.
o Translation: "If the sun doesn't come through the window, the doctor will come through the door."
* Viaţa asta-i bun pierdut, de n-o trăieşti cum ai fi vrut!" (G.Cosbuc-Poezii, Decebal către popor)
o Translation: "Life is a waste if you didn't live as you would have wanted to!"
* Vino necazule, dar vino singur!
o Translation: "Come trouble, but come alone (trouble never comes alone)!"
* Din coada de caine sata de matasa nu faci!
o Translation: "Can't turn dogs tail into a silk scarf!"
* Vorba multă, sărăcia omului
o Translation: "Too many words are the poverty of mankind"
* Nu lăsa pe mâine ce poţi face azi.
o Translation: "Don't leave for tomorrow, what you can do today."
* Sluga buna nu duce lipsa de stapan
o Translation: "A good servant never misses a master."
* Soare cu dinti
o Translation: "Sun with teeth"
o Meaning: (referring to weather) when outside it's very cold but sunny.
* Când pisica nu-i acasă , şoarecii joacă pe masa
o Translation: "When the cat is not at home the mice dance on the table"
o Meaning: (referring to people) When the host is not at home , the guests do whatever they want.
* Bine faci , bine găseşti.
o Translation: "When you do good , you get good . "
o Meaning: (referring to people) When you help someone you will be repayed somehow.
* Norocul este din sticla , cand incepe sa straluceasca , se sparge ..
o Translation: "The luck is like glass , when it starts to shine , it breaks "