Coletul era deteriorat la livrare.

-ul is the Romanian definite article, attached to the end of the noun.

• colet = a package / package
• coletul = the package

Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun rather than before it.

Era is the imperfect form of a fi (to be) and means was.

• este = is
• era = was

So Coletul era deteriorat means the package was in a damaged state.

This is a very common question because both can translate as was in English.

• era deteriorat suggests a state or background condition: the package was damaged
• a fost deteriorat can sound more like a completed event or a more explicit passive: the package was damaged

In this sentence, era deteriorat focuses on the package’s condition at the time of delivery, not so much on the action that caused the damage.

Because colet is a neuter noun, and in Romanian neuter nouns behave:

• like masculine in the singular
• like feminine in the plural

Since coletul is singular, the adjective/participle takes the masculine singular form:

• masculine singular: deteriorat
• feminine singular: deteriorată

So coletul era deteriorat is correct.

It is originally a past participle, but here it functions like an adjective after a fi.

So in era deteriorat, Romanian is describing the package’s condition: it was damaged.

This is very similar to English, where damaged can also act adjectivally:

• The package was damaged.

La livrare means something like:

• at delivery
• upon delivery
• when it was delivered

The preposition la often means at, on, or during, depending on context. Here it refers to the moment or circumstance of delivery.

Without the article, livrare is being used in a more general, set-expression way: upon delivery / at delivery.

• la livrare = upon delivery
• la livrarea coletului = at the delivery of the package

So the version without the article sounds natural when talking about delivery as an event or stage in the process.

It is passive-like, but more naturally understood as describing a state.

• era deteriorat = was damaged / was in a damaged condition

Romanian often uses a fi + participle/adjective in ways that overlap with English passive structures. In practice, a learner can understand this as the package was damaged.

Yes, but Coletul era deteriorat la livrare is the most neutral and natural order.

Romanian word order is more flexible than English, so other versions are possible for emphasis, such as:

• La livrare, coletul era deteriorat.

That version emphasizes the moment of delivery more strongly.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

ko-LE-tu l EH-ra de-te-ri-o-RAT la li-VRA-re

A few helpful notes:

• coletul has the stress on le
• era sounds roughly like EH-ra
• deteriorat has the stress near the end: -rat
• livrare has the stress on vra

Romanian pronunciation is fairly phonetic, so once you know the sounds, the spelling is usually reliable.