It is originally the past participle of the verb a cunoaște (to know), but in this sentence it functions like an adjective after este.
So Ana este cunoscută is best understood as Ana is known / well-known.
For a learner, the most useful way to think about it is:
În oraș is very natural Romanian and often means something like in town or in the city/town in a general, understood sense.
Romanian often uses the noun without the definite article after a preposition in expressions like this. It does not always map directly onto English article usage.
You can use a definite form when the noun is made more specific, for example:
But by itself, în oraș is completely normal.
It can mean either town or city, depending on context.
Romanian oraș does not always make the same sharp distinction that English sometimes does. So in translation, you choose town or city based on the situation.
Usually it means known or well-known, not necessarily famous.
So Ana este cunoscută în oraș suggests that people in the town/city know who Ana is. It does not automatically mean she is famous on a larger scale.
If you wanted a stronger idea like famous, Romanian might use words such as faimoasă or celebră, depending on context.
These are important Romanian sounds:
A rough pronunciation guide for the whole sentence is:
Ana este cunoscută în oraș
AH-na YES-te koo-nos-KOO-tuh în o-RASH
The rough guide is only approximate, but it helps you get started.
Yes, Romanian word order is somewhat flexible.
The neutral order is: Ana este cunoscută în oraș.
But you can move parts around for emphasis, for example:
For normal everyday use, the original order is the safest and most natural.
Normally, no. In standard Romanian, you usually keep the verb a fi in sentences like this.
So:
You might see the verb omitted in headlines, notes, or very stylized language, but not in ordinary standard speech.
The main change would be the form of cunoscut so that it agrees with the subject.
Examples:
Also notice that este changes to sunt in the plural.