Ana trișează în loc să urmeze regula.

În loc să means instead of when it is followed by a verb clause.

So:

• în loc să urmeze regula = instead of following the rule

A useful comparison:

• în loc să
  • verb
    în loc să urmeze = instead of following
• în loc de
  • noun
    în loc de regulă = instead of the rule or in place of the rule, depending on context

So in this sentence, în loc să introduces the action that Ana is not doing.

Because în loc să requires the subjunctive in Romanian.

That is why you get:

• urmează = present indicative, she follows
• să urmeze = subjunctive form, roughly that she follow / to follow depending on context

After expressions like în loc să, Romanian normally uses să + subjunctive:

• Ana învață. = Ana studies.
• Ana încearcă să învețe. = Ana tries to study.
• Ana trișează în loc să urmeze regula. = Ana cheats instead of following the rule.

So să urmeze is there because the grammar after în loc să demands it.

The dictionary form is a urma, meaning to follow.

In this sentence:

• a urma = infinitive, dictionary form
• urmeze = 3rd person singular subjunctive form

So să urmeze literally corresponds to something like to follow / that she follow, depending on how you explain it in English.

Because regula means the rule, while regulă means rule in its basic dictionary form.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun:

• regulă = rule
• regula = the rule

So:

• urmeze regula = follow the rule
• urmeze o regulă = follow a rule

The sentence uses regula because it refers to a specific rule, not just any rule.

Trișează is present tense, 3rd person singular, from a trișa.

So it means:

• she cheats
• or sometimes she is cheating, depending on context

Romanian present tense often covers both the simple present and the present continuous ideas that English separates.

So Ana trișează can mean either:

• Ana cheats
• Ana is cheating

The wider context tells you which one is intended.

Yes, a trișa is a normal and common verb meaning to cheat, especially in contexts like school, games, tests, or breaking fair rules.

Examples:

• Elevul trișează la test. = The student cheats on the test.
• Nu trișa! = Don’t cheat!

In your sentence, it suggests Ana is not acting honestly or fairly.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Ana ≈ AH-nah
• trișează ≈ tree-SHEA-zuh
• în loc să ≈ uhn lok suh
• urmeze ≈ oor-MEH-zeh
• regula ≈ REH-goo-lah

Whole sentence, roughly:

AH-nah tree-SHEA-zuh uhn lok suh oor-MEH-zeh REH-goo-lah

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• ș sounds like sh
• ă is a short central vowel, something like a very reduced uh
• în has a vowel that English does not have exactly, but uhn is a rough learner-friendly approximation

Yes. A urma often means to follow in several senses, including following a rule, plan, path, or sequence.

So:

• a urma regula = to follow the rule
• a urma instrucțiunile = to follow the instructions
• a urma un drum = to follow a road/path

In some contexts, Romanian could also use a respecta for to obey / to comply with:

• a respecta regula = to obey/observe the rule

But a urma regula is perfectly natural and understandable.

Yes, Romanian often omits subject pronouns, and if the context is clear, even the subject can sometimes be left out.

For example:

• Trișează în loc să urmeze regula.

This would mean She cheats instead of following the rule, if it is already clear who she is.

In your sentence, Ana is included because the speaker wants to identify the person clearly. That is very normal.

Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible.

The given sentence has a neutral order:

• Ana trișează în loc să urmeze regula.

You could also say:

• În loc să urmeze regula, Ana trișează.

That version puts more focus on the contrast: instead of following the rule, she cheats.

Both are grammatical. The difference is mainly emphasis and style, not basic meaning.

It is understood to be the same subject as the main clause: Ana.

So:

• Ana trișează = Ana cheats
• în loc să urmeze regula = instead of following the rule

The natural reading is Ana cheats instead of following the rule.

Romanian often leaves the subject of the subjunctive clause unspoken when it is obvious from context. Here, the sentence naturally implies that Ana is the one who would be following the rule.