Actorul interpretează rolul.

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

• actor = actor
• actorul = the actor
• rol = role
• rolul = the role

So in this sentence, both nouns are definite:

• Actorul = the actor
• rolul = the role

This is one of the most important differences between Romanian and English grammar.

-ul is a very common masculine/neuter singular definite article ending in Romanian.

For example:

• băiat → băiatul = the boy
• rol → rolul = the role
• actor → actorul = the actor

So here:

• actorul = actor + the
• rolul = role + the

Not every noun uses exactly the same ending in every situation, but -ul is extremely common for masculine singular nouns.

interpretează is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb a interpreta.

That means it can mean:

• he interprets
• she interprets
• it interprets

In this sentence, because the subject is Actorul (the actor), it means:

• the actor interprets

Romanian verbs change depending on the subject, just like English I interpret / he interprets.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already gives information about the subject.

So:

• interpretez = I interpret
• interpretezi = you interpret
• interpretează = he/she interprets

Since Actorul is already the subject, adding el would usually be unnecessary:

• Actorul interpretează rolul. = normal, natural
• El interpretează rolul. = possible, but only if you specifically want to say he or emphasize it

Romanian is a language where subject pronouns are often omitted unless needed for emphasis or clarity.

Romanian word order is more flexible than English word order, although Subject + Verb + Object is the most neutral pattern.

The basic sentence:

• Actorul interpretează rolul.

A different order can be used for emphasis:

• Rolul îl interpretează actorul.

That version puts more attention on rolul. Notice that when the direct object is moved to the front, Romanian often uses the clitic îl as well.

So:

• Actorul interpretează rolul. = neutral
• Rolul îl interpretează actorul. = emphatic / marked

In this sentence, you mostly know from word order and meaning.

• Actorul comes first and is doing the action
• interpretează is the verb
• rolul comes after the verb and receives the action

So:

• Actorul = the subject
• rolul = the direct object

Romanian does not always mark the direct object with a special ending in this kind of sentence, so context and position are important.

Because rolul here is the direct object of the verb interpretează.

Romanian a interpreta can directly take an object:

• interpretează rolul = interprets/plays the role

No preposition is needed in this structure.

If you add more information, you may use other constructions, for example:

• interpretează rolul lui Hamlet = he/she plays the role of Hamlet

But in the basic sentence, rolul stands directly after the verb as the object.

Both can be used, but they are not always identical in tone.

• a interpreta often sounds a bit more formal or artistic: to interpret / to perform
• a juca is also very common for actors: to play

So:

• Actorul interpretează rolul. = The actor interprets/performs the role.
• Actorul joacă rolul. = The actor plays the role.

In many contexts, a juca un rol is the more everyday way to say it, while a interpreta un rol can sound slightly more formal or theatrical.

The letter ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It is a short, central sound, somewhat like the a in English sofa, but you should not expect a perfect English match.

So interpretează is pronounced approximately like:

in-ter-pre-TEA-ză

A rough guide:

• tea sounds like teah
• final ză has the Romanian ă, a short neutral vowel

The stress is on -tea-:

• interpreTEAză

Yes. Many Romanian verbs ending in -a in the infinitive form have a present-tense pattern with -ez / -ezi / -ează.

For example:

• a lucra → lucrează = he/she works
• a conta → contează = it matters
• a interpreta → interpretează = he/she interprets

So interpretează fits a very common conjugation pattern.

Yes. If you wanted a role instead of the role, you would remove the definite article ending:

• rol = role
• un rol = a role
• rolul = the role

So you could say:

• Actorul interpretează un rol. = The actor interprets a role.

In your original sentence, rolul is definite, so it refers to a specific role.

Yes, depending on context. Romanian present tense often covers both:

• simple present: interprets
• present continuous: is interpreting

So:

• Actorul interpretează rolul.

can mean either:

• The actor interprets the role.
• The actor is interpreting the role.

Context tells you which one is intended.

The dictionary forms are:

• actorul → actor
• interpretează → a interpreta
• rolul → rol

So if you look them up in a dictionary, you would search for:

• actor
• a interpreta
• rol