Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată, modelăm vaza.

In this sentence, atâta timp cât means as long as.

It introduces a condition:

• Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată = As long as the potter’s wheel is not damaged

In other contexts, atâta timp cât can also suggest while or for as long as, depending on meaning, but here it clearly expresses a condition.

Romanian often uses the full expression atâta timp cât as a fixed conjunction meaning as long as.

Literally, the parts are something like:

• atâta = so much / that much
• timp = time
• cât = as / how much / that

But in this sentence, you should learn atâta timp cât as one expression, not word by word. It functions as a connector introducing the subordinate clause.

This is the normal Romanian way to show possession.

• roata = the wheel
• olarului = of the potter / the potter’s

So:

• roata olarului = the potter’s wheel

A native English speaker may expect something like olarul roată, but Romanian usually expresses possession with the possessed noun first, followed by the possessor in the genitive:

• casa profesorului = the teacher’s house
• cartea fetei = the girl’s book

Because roata is the definite singular form of roată.

• o roată = a wheel
• roata = the wheel

Romanian usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the in English.

So:

• roata olarului = the potter’s wheel

not just a potter’s wheel.

Because olarului is the genitive/dative singular form of olar.

• olar = potter
• olarul = the potter
• olarului = of the potter / to the potter

Here it is used in the genitive, because it shows possession:

• roata olarului = the wheel of the potter = the potter’s wheel

A useful thing to remember: in Romanian, the same form often serves for both genitive and dative, and context tells you which one it is.

Because deteriorată agrees with roata, and roata is:

• feminine
• singular

So the adjective/participle must also be feminine singular:

• roata ... deteriorată = the wheel ... damaged

Compare:

• peretele este deteriorat = the wall is damaged
  (perete is masculine)
• roata este deteriorată = the wheel is damaged
  (roată is feminine)

It is originally a past participle, but here it works like an adjective after este.

So:

• este deteriorată = is damaged

This is a very common Romanian structure:

• ușa este închisă = the door is closed
• cartea este pierdută = the book is lost
• roata este deteriorată = the wheel is damaged

So even if the form comes from a verb, in this kind of sentence it is often easiest for learners to understand it as an adjective.

In Romanian, the negative particle nu normally goes directly before the verb:

• nu este = is not
• nu avem = we do not have
• nu modelăm = we do not shape

So:

• roata olarului nu este deteriorată = the potter’s wheel is not damaged

This is standard Romanian word order for negation.

Modelăm is the 1st person plural present of a modela.

So it means:

• we shape
• we model

In this context, with vaza, it suggests shaping or forming the vase, probably on the potter’s wheel.

Related forms:

• eu modelez = I shape
• tu modelezi = you shape
• noi modelăm = we shape

Romanian often uses the present tense in general statements, instructions, and real conditions, just as English does.

So this sentence expresses a general idea:

• As long as the potter’s wheel is not damaged, we shape the vase.

It is not necessarily happening only right now; it can describe a regular or valid situation.

Vaza means the vase, while o vază would mean a vase.

• vază = vase
• o vază = a vase
• vaza = the vase

The sentence uses vaza, so it refers to a specific vase, or to the vase being worked on in context.

Romanian often uses the definite form where English would also use the.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată = subordinate clause
• modelăm vaza = main clause

When the subordinate clause comes first, Romanian normally separates it with a comma.

If you reversed the order, you could say:

• Modelăm vaza atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată.

In that order, the comma is usually not needed.

Yes. In everyday Romanian, e is a very common short form of este.

So both are possible:

• nu este deteriorată
• nu e deteriorată

The version with este sounds a little fuller or slightly more formal, but both are correct.

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though some versions are more natural than others.

The given sentence is very natural:

• Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată, modelăm vaza.

You could also say:

• Modelăm vaza atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată.

Both mean essentially the same thing. The first version emphasizes the condition first, which is often a natural choice.

No, but it is one of the most common and natural ways.

Other expressions may appear in some contexts, but atâta timp cât is a very useful standard phrase for learners to know.

A close variant you may also encounter is atât timp cât. In practice, both can be found, and both mean as long as.

For this sentence, just learn the expression as a whole.

Formally, olarului can be either:

• to the potter (dative)
• of the potter (genitive)

But in this sentence, it clearly means of the potter, because it follows a noun and shows possession:

• roata olarului = the wheel of the potter = the potter’s wheel

So although the form is the same, the structure tells you the meaning.