Copiii urăsc ploaia.

Because it is built from three parts:

• copil = child
• plural ending: -i → copii = children
• definite article in the plural: another -i → copiii = the children

So:

• copil = a child
• copii = children
• copiii = the children

This is completely normal in Romanian, even though it looks strange to English speakers at first.

It is pronounced roughly ko-PEE-ee.

A helpful way to think of it:

• co as in core without the r
• pii has the stressed pee
• the final i is a separate sound

So the three i's are not just decorative. They reflect real morphology, and in careful pronunciation they also affect the sound.

Because ploaia means the rain, while ploaie means rain or a rain depending on context.

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

So:

• ploaie = rain
• ploaia = the rain

In this sentence, ploaia is the direct object: The children hate the rain.

The dictionary form is a urî, which means to hate.

Urăsc is the 1st person singular or 3rd person plural present-tense form, depending on context:

• eu urăsc = I hate
• ei/ele urăsc = they hate

In Copiii urăsc ploaia, the subject is plural (copiii), so urăsc means they hate.

Because the subject is plural.

• copilul urăște = the child hates
• copiii urăsc = the children hate

So the verb must agree with the subject:

• singular subject → singular verb
• plural subject → plural verb

Romanian verb endings carry a lot of information, so agreement matters.

Not visibly. In this sentence, the accusative looks the same as the nominative for this noun.

So ploaia is the direct object, but its form does not change. Romanian often relies on word order, articles, and context rather than a visibly different accusative ending for many nouns.

That means:

• ploaia can be the rain as a subject
• ploaia can also be the rain as a direct object

Here it is the object because it follows the verb urăsc.

This Subject + Verb + Object order is the most neutral and common:

• Copiii = subject
• urăsc = verb
• ploaia = object

Romanian is somewhat more flexible than English, so other orders are possible for emphasis, but Copiii urăsc ploaia is the standard, neutral way to say it.

For a learner, SVO is the safest pattern to use first.

Yes. Romanian often drops subject pronouns, because the verb form already gives information about the subject.

So you could say:

• Urăsc ploaia = They hate the rain or I hate the rain, depending on context

That is why the noun copiii is useful here: it makes the subject explicit and removes ambiguity.

The Romanian ă is a very common vowel sound, similar to the a in English sofa or about when unstressed.

So urăsc is roughly pronounced oo-RUHSK, not with a strong English a sound.

This letter is different from:

• a = a normal a
• ă = a short, central vowel
• â / î = a different central vowel, deeper and tenser

Roughly PLOA-ya.

A few useful details:

• plo- sounds like ploa, with oa forming one syllabic unit
• the ending -ia is pronounced like ya

So ploaia is not pronounced as four separate English-style vowel sounds. It flows more smoothly: PLOA-ya.

Yes.

• copiii = the children
• ploaia = the rain

So the full sentence is literally The children hate the rain.

This is a useful reminder that Romanian often attaches the to the end of the noun rather than placing it before the noun as English does.

Normally, no. You would usually say either:

• Copiii urăsc ploaia = The children hate the rain
• Copiii urăsc ploaia asta = The children hate this rain

Using bare ploaie after urăsc is not the normal choice here. With abstract or mass nouns, Romanian often prefers the definite form in general statements of this type.

So ploaia is the natural version to learn first.