În loc să numeri punctele, începe o rundă nouă.

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

So:

• În loc să numeri punctele = Instead of counting the points

A useful comparison:

• în loc de
  • noun = instead of
    • noun
      
      • în loc de cafea = instead of coffee
• în loc să
  • verb = instead of
    • doing something
      
      • în loc să numeri = instead of counting

This is a very common Romanian pattern.

Because after în loc să, Romanian normally uses the particle să plus a verb form often called the subjunctive.

So the structure is:

• în loc să
  • verb

Examples:

• În loc să pleci, rămâi. = Instead of leaving, stay.
• În loc să vorbești, ascultă. = Instead of talking, listen.

In this sentence:

• să numeri = that you count / to count in this kind of construction

Even though English uses instead of counting, Romanian uses în loc să + a finite verb.

Numeri is 2nd person singular: you count.

So the sentence is speaking directly to one person:

• (tu) numeri = you count
• (tu) începe = start!

Romanian often leaves out the subject pronoun tu, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Not literally. Romanian and English build this idea differently.

English says:

• Instead of counting the points...

Romanian says:

• În loc să numeri punctele...
• literally, something like In place that you count the points...

That literal wording sounds strange in English, but it is perfectly normal in Romanian. So the best approach is to learn în loc să + verb as a fixed pattern meaning instead of doing something.

Punctele is the definite plural form of punct.

• punct = point
• puncte = points
• punctele = the points

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• puncte = points
• punctele = the points

In this sentence, punctele refers to specific points already understood in context, such as the points in a game.

Here puncte most naturally means points in the sense of score.

The noun punct can mean different things depending on context, for example:

• a point / a score point
• a dot / mark
• a point in an argument
• a location / point

But in a sentence with roundă (round), the game-related meaning is most likely:

• numera punctele = count the points / total up the score

Because începe here is the imperative form: start!

Compare:

• începi = you start / you are starting
• începe! = start!

Romanian often uses the imperative to give instructions, orders, or encouragement.

So:

• Începe o rundă nouă. = Start a new round.

The verb forms show that it is addressed to one person.

Singular:

• să numeri
• începe

Plural:

• să numărați
• începeți

So if you were speaking to more than one person, the sentence would be:

• În loc să numărați punctele, începeți o rundă nouă.

That means:

• Instead of counting the points, start a new round.
  addressed to you all

It means a new round.

Breakdown:

• o = a (feminine singular indefinite article)
• rundă = round
• nouă = new (feminine singular form)

Why nouă?

Because rundă is a feminine noun, and adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.

Compare:

• un joc nou = a new game
• o rundă nouă = a new round
• două runde noi = two new rounds

In Romanian, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• rundă nouă = new round
• literally: round new

This is one of the most normal adjective positions in Romanian.

Sometimes adjectives can come before the noun, but that often changes the tone or emphasis. For basic learning, it is safest to think:

• noun + adjective is very common in Romanian

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main command:

• În loc să numeri punctele, = introductory idea
• începe o rundă nouă. = main instruction

In English, we often do the same:

• Instead of counting the points, start a new round.

So the comma helps show the structure clearly.

Yes. Romanian has other ways to express a similar idea, but În loc să... is very natural here.

Possible alternatives include:

• Nu mai număra punctele; începe o rundă nouă.
  = Stop counting the points; start a new round.

• În loc de a număra punctele, începe o rundă nouă.
  This is more formal or less common in everyday speech than în loc să.

For ordinary conversation or instructions, În loc să numeri... is the most idiomatic choice.

A careful approximation is:

în lok sə nu-MEHR-ee PUNK-te-leh, in-CHEH-peh o ROON-də NO-wə

A few sound notes:

• î / â = a close central vowel, somewhat like a tight, reduced vowel not found exactly in English
• ă = the schwa sound, like the a in sofa
• ce in începe sounds like che in check, so începe is roughly in-CHEH-peh
• c before e or i often changes sound in Romanian
• punctele has three syllables: PUNK-te-le

You can roughly break it down word by word, but the natural English translation is better.

Word-by-word:

• În = in
• loc = place
• să = subjunctive particle
• numeri = you count
• punctele = the points
• începe = start
• o = a
• rundă = round
• nouă = new

A literal version would be something like:

• In place that you count the points, start a new round.

That is not natural English. The correct natural translation is:

• Instead of counting the points, start a new round.

So it is better to understand the Romanian pattern as a whole rather than translating each word mechanically.