Apa este pură.

Apă means water in a general, dictionary form.

Apa means the water. Romanian usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word like the in front.

So:

• apă = water
• apa = the water

In this sentence, apa is the subject, so it means the water.

Este means is.

It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb a fi = to be.

So:

• eu sunt = I am
• tu ești = you are
• el/ea este = he/she is

In Apa este pură, este simply links the subject and the adjective, just like English is in The water is pure.

Romanian adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

Here, apa is a feminine singular noun, so the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• masculine singular: pur
• feminine singular: pură
• masculine plural: puri
• feminine plural: pure

So:

• aerul este pur = the air is pure
• apa este pură = the water is pure

The letter ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It is a short, neutral sound, similar to the a in English about or sofa.

So pură is approximately pronounced POO-rə, with the last vowel being that soft ə sound.

Also note:

• ă is different from a
• â/î is also a different sound again

So it is important not to pronounce pură like plain pura.

Romanian usually uses a postposed definite article, meaning the article is added to the end of the noun.

Compare:

• English: the water
• Romanian: apa

This is a major feature of Romanian grammar.

A few examples:

• băiat = boy

• băiatul = the boy

• fată = girl

• fata = the girl

• apă = water
• apa = the water

So the meaning of the is built into apa.

Yes. E is a shorter, very common spoken form of este.

So both are correct:

• Apa este pură.
• Apa e pură.

The version with este may sound a little more neutral or slightly more formal, while e is extremely common in everyday speech.

The normal, most straightforward word order is:

• Apa este pură.

Romanian does allow some flexibility in word order, especially for emphasis or style. A sentence like Pură este apa is possible, but it sounds more marked, poetic, or emphatic.

For a learner, the safest standard order is:

subject + verb + adjective

So stick with Apa este pură unless you have a reason to emphasize something.

In Romanian, grammatical gender is a property of nouns, and it does not mean the noun is biologically female or male.

Apă is grammatically feminine, so any adjective describing it must use the feminine form.

This is true even for things and abstract ideas.

So:

• apa is feminine
• therefore: pură, not pur

English does not do this with adjectives, but Romanian does.

Usually in a simple sentence like this, the adjective comes after the verb because it is part of the predicate:

• Apa este pură.

If you want the adjective directly with the noun, you could have a noun phrase like:

• apa pură = the pure water

So compare:

• Apa este pură. = The water is pure.
• Apa pură = the pure water

Both are correct, but they are different structures.

Romanian often uses the definite form where English may use a bare noun for general statements.

So Apa este pură can often be understood naturally as a general statement like Water is pure or The water is pure, depending on context.

This is something learners notice often: Romanian and English do not always use definiteness in the same way.

In a real context, Romanian speakers choose the form that sounds most natural, and the definite article is often used more broadly than in English.

Pură is an adjective.

In this sentence, it is a predicate adjective, because it comes after the verb este and describes the subject apa.

So the structure is:

• Apa = subject
• este = verb
• pură = adjective describing the subject

This is the same basic pattern as in English:

• The water = subject
• is = verb
• pure = adjective