Moldova is a small country sandwiched between southern Ukraine and eastern Romania. Known for its wine, it can be a good place to visit as a tourist, especially if you’re already visiting Romania!
I visited Chișinău several months ago after spending a few weeks in Romania, and took a train back to Bucharest afterward! But like any non-English speaking country, it’s important to know what languages you might encounter so that you can come prepared.
The Official Language in Moldova: Romanian or Moldovan?
I spoke about this a long time ago, but the division between a language and a dialect is not always obvious.
A great example comes right here, with Romanian and Moldovan.
See, they’re nearly identical. I don’t know the particulars, and I’m sure there are some dialectal differences, but nothing too significant. I would imagine it’s like American and British English: they can understand each other perfectly and interact fully while speaking, but there are recognizable differences.
For all intents and purposes, they’re the same language.
The main reason they’re called different things comes down to politics.
The two names are used pretty interchangeably in Moldova. It’s mainly called Moldovan in politics, but it happens in common conversation too.
Their Declaration of Independence calls it Romanian, while their Constitution calls it Moldovan. Ultimately, the government deferred to the Declaration of Independence, making Romanian the official name of their language.
Again, they’re the same language. So, regardless of what people call the language in Moldova, you’ll get by just fine with some Romanian!
If you want some information on Romanian, I’ve made a post about it!
Russian Language in Moldova
Unlike Romania, Moldova was once part of the USSR. (Romania was part of the communist bloc though!)
This means that, for a good chunk of time, they spoke and learned Russian, leading it to become a significant language in the nation. This is especially true among older citizens.
When I visited the Museum of Transportation, our tour guide only spoke Romanian and Russian. This created a bit of difficulty in exploring the museum, but we were fortunate to have another visitor with us who spoke English and Romanian.
You’re not likely to get around as easily with Russian as you would with Romanian, but it definitely depends on where you go.
Transnistria
The eastern border of Moldova, called Transnistria, is an autonomous region of the country with all the trappings of its own national government. They broke away from Moldova but are not recognized as an independent power. On any map, they’re shown within Moldova’s borders even though the government has no control over the area.
First of all, I would not recommend going there, as it can be difficult to get aid from any other government while you’re there. But in the interest of talking about language across all of Moldova, I thought I should mention Transnistria.
Russia still holds a lot of influence in Transnistria, and most of its citizens are Moldovan, Russian, or Ukrainian.
Their official languages are Russian and Ukrainian rather than Romanian. If you ever somehow find yourself there, those two languages will help you get around the best.
What About English?
While some efforts are in place to teach English, it’s still not super common.
I can speak to this part firsthand as well. Going from Romania to Moldova, I noticed a stark difference in the prevalence of English.
I want to preface this by saying that I do not in any way think that everyone should learn or exclusively speak English. Linguistic diversity is vital to the human condition. But as a traveler, it’s important to know what to prepare for so that you can actually find your way around.
In Romania, I found it pretty easy to find directions and communicate with people. I think the only time I ran into trouble was the ticket booth for the trains leaving the airport. She spoke English but was not fluent, and the loud sounds of the airport did not make her any easier to understand.
Moldova is a different story. It was rare to find anyone in Chișinău who spoke English besides the hotel staff.
In spite of the language barrier, I didn’t find it difficult to get around. Having a travel partner definitely helped, too.
So, I wouldn’t expect to encounter a lot of English speakers there! Plan accordingly!
Other Languages in Moldova
Gagauz is spoken by roughly 4% of Moldova’s population in yet another autonomous region called Gagauzia. It comes from the Turkic language family and can also be found in Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey!
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Ukrainian and Bulgarian come next in the list, since both countries are very close by!
You might encounter many other European languages in very small frequencies, either from travelers or immigrants.
Conclusion
Language can tell you a lot about a culture; this goes beyond even the words and phrases they use. The languages present in a community can tell you so much about the influences– historical and modern– that have played a part in forming a nation’s history.
If you notice any mistakes or inaccuracies in this material, please let me know. I’ll fix it as soon as I can!
