Prietenii lucrează alături de noi.

Because prietenii means the friends.

Here is the pattern:

• prieten = friend
• prieteni = friends
• prietenii = the friends

So the word already includes the definite article the, which in Romanian is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

The two i letters are there because:

• one i belongs to the plural form prieteni
• the second i is the definite article for the masculine plural

So prietenii = friends + the.

In normal speech, prietenii is pronounced differently from prieteni.

A simple learner-friendly way to think of it is:

• prieteni = friends
• prietenii = the friends, with an extra -i sound at the end

The final part often sounds something like -niy rather than a long English ee. You do pronounce both i letters, but the last one is lighter and shorter than English speakers often expect.

So it is important not to pronounce prietenii exactly the same as prieteni.

Lucrează is the present-tense form of a lucra, meaning to work.

Its present forms are:

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

Since prietenii is plural, the verb must match they, so Romanian uses lucrează.

A detail that often surprises learners: in this verb, the he/she form and the they form are the same:

• el lucrează
• ei lucrează

It can mean either, depending on context.

Romanian present tense often covers both:

• They work
• They are working

So Prietenii lucrează alături de noi could mean:

• The friends work alongside us
• The friends are working alongside us

Usually the wider context tells you which one sounds more natural in English.

Alături de is a fixed expression meaning:

• alongside
• beside
• next to
• sometimes together with, depending on context

In this sentence, alături de noi means alongside us.

It suggests being at someone’s side, either physically or in cooperation. So it is a bit more specific than just with us.

Because alături normally goes with the preposition de.

So the full pattern is:

• alături de cineva = alongside someone
• alături de ceva = alongside something

You should learn it as one unit:

• alături de mine = alongside me
• alături de tine = alongside you
• alături de noi = alongside us

So de is not optional here.

Romanian personal pronouns work differently from English.

In English, you have:

• we for the subject
• us after a preposition

In Romanian, after prepositions you use the stressed pronoun form, and for noi, that form is still noi.

So:

• noi lucrăm = we work
• alături de noi = alongside us

Even though the form is the same, the function is different. In this sentence, noi clearly means us because it comes after the preposition de.

Yes, but the meaning is a little different.

• cu noi = with us
• alături de noi = alongside us

Cu noi is more general.
Alături de noi gives a stronger sense of being by our side, working next to us, or supporting us in a shared effort.

So both can work in some contexts, but alături de noi is more specific and often more expressive.

Because that is the most neutral and straightforward word order in Romanian here:

• Prietenii = subject
• lucrează = verb
• alături de noi = prepositional phrase

So the structure is basically:

The friends + work + alongside us

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, so other orders are possible for emphasis, such as:

• Alături de noi lucrează prietenii.

But the original version is the most natural basic order for a simple statement.

Yes. Prieten is a masculine noun meaning male friend or sometimes friend in a mixed or unspecified group, depending on context.

Its forms are:

• un prieten = a friend
• doi prieteni = two friends
• prietenii = the friends

If you wanted specifically feminine female friends, you would use prietenele:

• Prietenele lucrează alături de noi. = The female friends are working alongside us.

Yes, you could say Lucrează alături de noi, and Romanian often drops subject pronouns when they are understood from the verb.

But here the subject is not a pronoun like they. It is a full noun phrase, prietenii, and if you want to say specifically the friends, you normally include it.

So:

• Lucrează alături de noi = They are working alongside us / He or she is working alongside us, depending on context
• Prietenii lucrează alături de noi = The friends are working alongside us

Including prietenii makes the sentence clear and specific.