Rana este mică.

Rană is the basic dictionary form, meaning wound or a wound depending on context.

Rana is the definite form, meaning the wound. Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• rană = wound / a wound
• rana = the wound

With many feminine nouns ending in -ă, the definite singular form changes to -a:

• masă → masa
• casă → casa
• rană → rana

Este is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb a fi, which means to be.

So este means is.

In this sentence, it links the subject rana to the description mică, just like English is in The wound is small.

Because mică is the feminine singular form of the adjective.

Romanian adjectives usually agree with the noun in gender and number. Since rana is feminine singular, the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• masculine singular: mic
• feminine singular: mică
• plural: mici

Examples:

• băiatul este mic = the boy is small
• rana este mică = the wound is small
• rănile sunt mici = the wounds are small

Yes. Rană is feminine.

That is why:

• the definite form is rana
• the adjective is mică, not mic

In Romanian, noun gender affects articles, adjectives, and sometimes pronouns.

Yes. E is a very common short form of este in everyday Romanian.

So both are correct:

• Rana este mică — a little more full or neutral
• Rana e mică — very common in speech

For a learner, it is good to recognize both.

Normally, no.

In a standard sentence like this, Romanian usually needs the verb to be:

• Rana este mică
• Rana e mică

Leaving it out would sound incomplete in normal Romanian.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

RA-na YES-te MEE-kuh

A few notes:

• ra in rana sounds like rah
• este is roughly YES-te
• mi in mică sounds like mee
• că ends with ă, a sound like the weak vowel in sofa

Also, the c in mică is a hard k sound.

Ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It sounds like a short, weak uh sound, similar to the vowel at the end of English sofa in many accents.

So mică is approximately:

MEE-kuh

This is different from a, e, i, o, and u, so it is worth practicing early.

The neutral word order is:

subject + verb + adjective

So:

• Rana = subject
• este = verb
• mică = adjective

This is the most natural basic order for a simple statement.

Romanian can sometimes change word order for emphasis, style, or poetry, but Rana este mică is the standard form a learner should use first.

You would say:

o rană mică

This is different because now the adjective is directly describing the noun inside a noun phrase, not after este.

Compare:

• o rană mică = a small wound
• rana este mică = the wound is small

In Romanian, adjectives often come after the noun, as in rană mică.