Compresa și bandajul sunt pe rană.

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

• compresă = a compress / a dressing
• compresa = the compress / the dressing
• bandaj = a bandage
• bandajul = the bandage

So Romanian often does with endings what English does with the separate word the.

Because the article changes depending on the noun’s gender and form.

• compresă is a feminine noun, so its singular definite form is compresa
• bandaj is a neuter noun, and in the singular neuter nouns behave like masculine nouns, so the definite form is bandajul

This is very normal in Romanian: different noun types take different definite endings.

Because the subject is plural overall: compresa și bandajul = two things.

Even though each noun is singular by itself, together they make a compound subject, so Romanian uses the plural form of to be:

• este / e = is
• sunt = are

So:

• Compresa este pe rană. = The dressing is on the wound / on a wound.
• Compresa și bandajul sunt pe rană. = The dressing and the bandage are...

Și means and.

The letter ș is pronounced like sh in ship. So și sounds roughly like shee, though in natural speech it can be very short.

Here, pe means on.

So pe rană means on a wound or, depending on context, on the wound.

A useful extra note: Romanian pe also has another job in some sentences, where it marks a direct object, especially a person, as in Văd pe Maria. But that is a different use. In your sentence, it is simply a location preposition meaning on.

Rană is the basic/indefinite form: a wound.
Rana is the definite form: the wound.

So grammatically:

• pe rană = on a wound or a more general on wound
• pe rana = on the wound

Romanian sometimes uses a bare noun after a preposition in a more general or practical way, especially in instructions or descriptions. If you want to make the wound clearly definite and specific, pe rana is the more explicit form.

The letter ă is a short central vowel. For an English speaker, it is similar to the a sound in about or sofa.

So rană is pronounced roughly like RA-nuh, with the final vowel being short and unstressed.

Not completely. Romanian word order is fairly flexible.

Compresa și bandajul sunt pe rană is the most neutral order: subject + verb + location.

You could also say:

• Pe rană sunt compresa și bandajul.

That version is possible, but it puts more emphasis on pe rană.

So the original sentence is the most straightforward, neutral way to say it.

No, not in standard Romanian. In a normal present-tense sentence like this, you keep the verb a fi.

So:

• Compresa și bandajul sunt pe rană. = correct
• Compresa și bandajul pe rană. = incomplete / unnatural in standard Romanian

Romanian normally does not drop is/are in this kind of sentence.