badly; poorly
Describes how an action is done.
cântă rău
he/she sings badly
scrie rău
he/she writes poorly
dorm rău
I sleep badly
#74 · Adverb · ADV
In Romanian, rău means “badly; poorly”. It’s the #74 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Common Romanian adverb meaning 'badly' or 'poorly'; also used in phrases like "face rău" = 'to do harm' or "a-i rău" = 'to feel sick / badly off'.
neutralDescribes how an action is done.
he/she sings badly
he/she writes poorly
I sleep badly
Often in expressions with verbs like "a face" or in contrasts with "bine".
Crowding is harmful to you.
This food is bad for him/her.
Used especially in fixed expressions about health or condition.
I feel ill.
He/She felt sick after the meal.
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
verb + rău
Standard way to express that something is done badly.
lucrează rău
he/she works badly
a se simți rău
Very common expression for feeling ill.
Mă simt rău.
I feel ill.
a face rău cuiva / ceva
To harm someone or something.
Fumatul îți face rău.
Smoking is harmful to you.
A cântat rău la repetiție.
He/She sang badly at rehearsal.
rău - Adverb of manner.
Mă simt rău de dimineață.
I have felt ill since morning.
rău - Health/condition.
Nu vorbește rău româna, dar mai greșește.
He/She doesn’t speak Romanian badly, but still makes mistakes.
rău - Manner, often in comparison with a better standard.
Common phrases built around rău — worth learning as whole units.
lit. “to-me it-seems bad” · clitic marks the experiencer: îți pare rău (you), îi pare rău (he/she)
lit. “to make bad” · dative clitic marks who's affected: îmi face rău (it makes me feel bad), îi face rău (it harms him)
lit. “to-me refl makes bad” · i se face rău = he/she feels faint; distinct from «a face rău» = to harm
lit. “to-me is bad” · «mi-e + adjective» frame; distinct from «mi se face rău» (feel faint); clitic marks the experiencer (îți e rău, îi e rău)