Dosarul este pe masă.

Word by word:

• dosarul = the file / the folder / the dossier
• este = is
• pe = on
• masă = table

So the structure is very close to English: The file is on the table.

A small note: dosar can mean a physical file, folder, or dossier depending on context.

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

• dosar = a file / file
• dosarul = the file

This ending -ul is the definite article for many neuter and masculine singular nouns.

So:

• dosar = file
• dosarul = the file

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice in Romanian.

Because masă here is being used without the definite article attached.

• masă = table
• masa = the table

In English, we would normally say on the table, so a learner may expect pe masa. Romanian often allows the noun after a preposition to stay indefinite in everyday speech, especially when the place is understood as a normal location.

So:

• pe masă = on the table / on a table, depending on context
• pe masa = more specifically on the table

In many real-life situations, pe masă sounds perfectly natural even when English uses the table.

Here pe means on.

So:

• pe masă = on the table

But pe is a very common Romanian preposition and can also have other uses in other contexts, such as:

• pe stradă = on the street
• pe mine = me after certain verbs, where pe marks a direct object

In this sentence, though, it is simply the location preposition on.

In standard Romanian, este is normally used here.

So:

• Dosarul este pe masă = correct
• leaving out este would sound incomplete or nonstandard in ordinary Romanian

Unlike Russian, for example, Romanian does not normally drop the present tense of to be in this kind of sentence.

Yes. Very often, especially in speech, Romanians use e instead of este.

So both are correct:

• Dosarul este pe masă.
• Dosarul e pe masă.

The version with e is more common in everyday conversation.
The version with este can sound a bit more careful, explicit, or formal.

The basic word order is:

• Dosarul = subject
• este = verb
• pe masă = place/location

So the default order is:

• Dosarul este pe masă.

This is the most neutral way to say it.

But Romanian word order is somewhat flexible. You could also hear:

• Pe masă este dosarul.

This shifts the focus more toward the location, something like On the table is the file.

For a beginner, the safest pattern is the standard one: subject + verb + location.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

• dosarul ≈ doh-SAH-rul
• este ≈ YES-te
• pe ≈ peh
• masă ≈ MAH-suh

A few key points:

• e in este is pronounced like ye at the beginning: YES-te
• ă in masă is a central vowel, something like the a in sofa or about
• stress is usually:
  • doSArul
  • ESte
  • MAsă

A rough full pronunciation: doh-SAH-rul YES-te peh MAH-suh

The letter ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It is not the same as plain a.

• a is a clearer open ah sound
• ă is weaker and more central, similar to the unstressed vowel in English sofa, about, or comma

So:

• masă is approximately MAH-suh, not MAH-sah

This sound is important in Romanian because changing ă to a can change the word or just make your pronunciation sound unnatural.

Dosar is a neuter noun in Romanian.

Romanian neuter nouns behave:

• like masculine in the singular
• like feminine in the plural

That matters for articles and adjective agreement.

In the singular:

• un dosar = a file
• dosarul = the file

In the plural:

• două dosare = two files
• dosarele = the files

In this sentence, you mainly notice the singular definite form dosarul.

Masă is a feminine noun.

Examples:

• o masă = a table
• masa = the table

Its plural is:

• mese = tables
• mesele = the tables

This matters when you start learning articles and adjective agreement.

That would be:

• Dosarele sunt pe masă.

Breakdown:

• dosarele = the files
• sunt = are
• pe masă = on the table

So the pattern stays the same; you just change the noun and the verb to plural.

Yes. Masă can also mean meal in some contexts.

For example:

• luăm masa = we have a meal / eat

But in pe masă, the meaning is clearly on the table, because the preposition pe makes the physical-location meaning obvious.

So in this sentence, there is no real ambiguity.

Yes, it is completely natural.

A very common spoken version would be:

• Dosarul e pe masă.

That is probably what you would hear most often in conversation.

If you want a slightly more formal or careful version, use:

• Dosarul este pe masă.

Both are correct and natural.