What does “se dă mare” mean in Romanian?
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A2 Romanian listening practice · Romanian · Picked for people who know a little
In this twin-sister mix-up, one complains about the other: «se dă mare cu tot ce are» (“she shows off with everything she’s got”). Se dă mare means to show off or put on airs, literally “to give oneself big.”
It’s everyday Romanian for someone far too pleased with themselves, the braggart who struts and “vorbește ca pisica” (talks all airs and graces). The comedy is that she’s unknowingly trashing her own identical twin. Pair se dă mare with arogant (“arrogant”) or fudul (“vain, stuck-up”) and you can describe every show-off you’ll ever meet.
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Romanian sitcoms like Las Fierbinți (on Pro TV) and stand-up shows like iUmor.
- ▸Alongside arogant (“arrogant”) and fudul (“vain, stuck-up”).
- ▸In Romanian banter aimed at someone who se crede buricul pământului (“thinks they’re the centre of the world”).
- ▸In everyday Romanian put-downs among friends.