Locul este cunoscut.

Because Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not in front of it.

• loc = place
• locul = the place

So -ul here means the.

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice in Romanian. Compare:

• om = man
• omul = the man
• copil = child
• copilul = the child

Este is the 3rd person singular form of a fi (to be). It means is.

So structurally, the sentence is:

• Locul = the place
• este = is
• cunoscut = known / well-known

This is the normal present-tense linking verb, just like English is.

Yes. In everyday Romanian, este is very often shortened to e.

So you can hear both:

• Locul este cunoscut.
• Locul e cunoscut.

Both are correct.
Este sounds a bit more neutral or formal; e is very common in speech.

Here, cunoscut is an adjective. It describes locul.

It comes from the verb a cunoaște (to know, to be acquainted with), and as an adjective it means something like:

• known
• well-known
• familiar

In this sentence, it works like English known in The place is known.

Because it has to agree with locul.

Locul is:

• singular
• masculine/neuter form
• definite

The adjective in this structure uses the matching singular masculine/neuter form: cunoscut.

Other forms are:

• cunoscut = masculine singular / neuter singular
• cunoscută = feminine singular
• cunoscuți = masculine plural
• cunoscute = feminine plural / neuter plural

Examples:

• Locul este cunoscut.
• Casa este cunoscută.
• Băieții sunt cunoscuți.
• Locurile sunt cunoscute.

In Romanian, when a noun with a postposed adjective is definite, the noun usually carries the definite article, not the adjective.

So:

• locul cunoscut = the known place

The definiteness is already shown by locul, so cunoscut stays in its normal adjective form.

This is different from some other languages where adjectives may also show definiteness more clearly.

The normal word order here is:

• Locul este cunoscut.

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, but this is the most straightforward neutral version.

You might also see or hear different orders for emphasis, but they are less neutral. For example:

• Este cunoscut locul. — more marked, often stylistic or context-dependent

For a learner, the safest default is:

• subject + este/e + adjective

So Locul este cunoscut is the standard pattern to remember.

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

LOH-kool ES-teh koo-nohs-KOOT

A few notes:

• locul: the c is a hard k sound
• este: pronounced clearly as two syllables, es-te
• cunoscut: the stress is on the last syllable, -cut

Romanian pronunciation is generally more phonetic than English, so words are usually pronounced close to how they are written.

It can often mean both, depending on context.

So Locul este cunoscut may mean:

• The place is known
• The place is well-known

Romanian often leaves that nuance to context. In many real situations, English would naturally translate it as well-known rather than the more literal known.

Yes. Este is present tense, so the sentence is in the present.

If you change the tense, you change the form of a fi:

• Locul este cunoscut. = present
• Locul a fost cunoscut. = past
• Locul va fi cunoscut. = future

So the tense here is carried by este.

Normally, no. In standard Romanian, the verb to be is usually expressed in sentences like this.

So:

• Locul este cunoscut. = correct
• Locul cunoscut. = not a normal complete sentence in standard Romanian

You may occasionally see omissions in headlines, notes, or very informal fragments, but for normal grammar, keep este or e.

Yes, loc is treated as a neuter noun in Romanian, which means:

• in the singular, it behaves like a masculine
• in the plural, it behaves like a feminine

That is why in the singular you get:

• locul este cunoscut

But in the plural:

• locurile sunt cunoscute

This masculine-in-the-singular / feminine-in-the-plural pattern is typical of Romanian neuter nouns.