Funcționarul lucrează la ghișeu.

Because -ul is the Romanian definite article attached to the end of a masculine singular noun.

So:

• funcționar = a clerk / an official / an office worker
• funcționarul = the clerk / the official

Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of before it.

A few similar examples:

• băiat → băiatul = the boy
• student → studentul = the student
• funcționar → funcționarul = the clerk

There are several Romanian spelling features here that English speakers often notice:

• ț in funcționarul sounds like ts, as in cats
• ș in ghișeu sounds like sh, as in ship
• ă in lucrează is a short neutral vowel, like the a in sofa
• gh before i or e keeps a hard g sound, so ghi- starts with g, not j

Roughly:

• funcționarul ≈ funk-tsyo-NA-rul
• lucrează ≈ loo-KREA-zuh
• ghișeu ≈ gee-SHEU

The exact sounds are a bit different from English, but those approximations are a good start.

Lucrează is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a lucra = to work.

So:

• eu lucrez = I work
• tu lucrezi = you work
• el/ea lucrează = he/she works
• noi lucrăm = we work
• voi lucrați = you all work
• ei/ele lucrează = they work

In your sentence, funcționarul is singular, so lucrează matches it.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Romanian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• works for a general fact or habitual action
• is working for something happening now

So Funcționarul lucrează la ghișeu could mean:

• The clerk works at the counter
  or
• The clerk is working at the counter

Usually the situation tells you which meaning is intended.

La often means at, to, or near, depending on context.

In this sentence, la ghișeu means at the counter / at the service window.

So:

• lucrează la ghișeu = works at the counter

Romanian often uses la for workplaces, service points, and destinations:

• la birou = at the office
• la bancă = at the bank
• la magazin = at the shop
• la ghișeu = at the counter

This is a very common question.

In Romanian, when talking about a place in a general or functional sense, the noun often appears without the definite article.

So:

• la ghișeu = at the counter, meaning the person works in that role/location generally
• la ghișeul = at the specific counter, usually followed by more detail

For example:

• Funcționarul lucrează la ghișeu. = The clerk works at the counter.
• Funcționarul lucrează la ghișeul 2. = The clerk works at counter 2.
• Funcționarul lucrează la ghișeul din stânga. = The clerk works at the counter on the left.

So the version without the article is very natural here.

Yes. Romanian is a pro-drop language, which means the subject is often omitted if it is already clear from context.

So you can say:

• Lucrează la ghișeu. = He/She works at the counter.

However, without funcționarul, the sentence no longer explicitly says who is working there. The verb form lucrează tells you it is 3rd person singular, but not whether it is he or she.

Including funcționarul makes the subject clear.

Yes. Funcționarul lucrează la ghișeu follows the normal Romanian pattern:

Subject + Verb + Adverbial phrase

So:

• Funcționarul = subject
• lucrează = verb
• la ghișeu = place phrase

This is the most neutral and natural order.

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though, and you can move parts of the sentence for emphasis:

• La ghișeu lucrează funcționarul.
  This gives extra focus to la ghișeu or sounds more marked.

But the original version is the best basic form for learners.

Ghișeu usually refers to a service counter, service window, or desk where someone helps customers or handles official business.

You often hear it in places like:

• banks
• post offices
• train stations
• government offices

So it is not just any table or desk. It usually means a public-facing counter where an employee serves people.

A few very useful forms are:

For funcționar:

• un funcționar = a clerk
• funcționarul = the clerk
• funcționari = clerks
• funcționarii = the clerks

Feminine forms:

• o funcționară = a female clerk
• funcționara = the female clerk

For ghișeu:

• un ghișeu = a counter
• ghișeul = the counter
• ghișee = counters
• ghișeele = the counters

These are helpful because Romanian noun endings change a lot depending on definiteness, number, and sometimes gender.