Îndată ce ajunge la ghișeul de bagaje pierdute, pasagerul declară conținutul.

Îndată ce means as soon as.

In this sentence, Îndată ce ajunge... = As soon as he/she arrives...

It is correct and natural, but it sounds a bit more formal or literary than everyday alternatives. In conversation, Romanians often use:

• imediat ce = as soon as
• de îndată ce = as soon as
• sometimes just când in looser speech, depending on context

So this sentence is perfectly good Romanian, but îndată ce has a slightly formal tone.

Because îndată ce is followed here by the indicative, not the subjunctive.

• ajunge = present indicative, 3rd person singular
• ajungă = present subjunctive, 3rd person singular

After time expressions like când, după ce, îndată ce, Romanian normally uses the indicative when stating a real event:

• Îndată ce ajunge, ... = As soon as he arrives, ...

So ajunge is the expected form here.

Romanian often uses the present tense in subordinate clauses referring to the future, especially after words like când, după ce, îndată ce, dacă.

So Romanian says:

• Îndată ce ajunge..., pasagerul declară...

Even if English might say:

• As soon as he arrives..., the passenger will declare...

This is normal Romanian grammar. Present forms can express a future event when the context makes that clear.

It means at/to the lost luggage counter/desk.

Breakdown:

• la = to / at
• ghișeul = the counter, the service window, the desk
• de bagaje pierdute = for lost luggage / of lost luggage

So the whole phrase refers to the service desk where someone reports missing baggage.

Depending on context, English might translate ghișeu as:

• counter
• desk
• service window

Because ghișeul is the definite form: the counter.

• ghișeu = a counter / counter
• ghișeul = the counter

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

So:

• ghișeu → ghișeul
• pasager → pasagerul
• conținut → conținutul

This is one of the most important features of Romanian grammar.

Because bagaje means baggage/luggage here, and pierdute agrees with it in plural.

• bagaj = a piece of baggage / luggage item
• bagaje = baggage items / luggage

In expressions like airport lost luggage, Romanian often uses the plural:

• bagaje pierdute = lost luggage / lost bags

And the adjective must agree with the noun:

• bagaje = plural
• pierdute = plural feminine/neuter form

Romanian bagaj is a neuter noun, and neuter nouns behave like masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural, which is why the plural adjective looks feminine plural here.

Because Romanian is saying the passenger declares the contents.

• pasagerul = the passenger
• conținutul = the contents / the content

The sentence is about a specific passenger in a specific situation, so the definite form is natural.

Romanian often uses the definite article where English also uses the, but the article is attached to the end of the noun:

• pasager → pasagerul
• conținut → conținutul

It can mean either, depending on context.

Literally, conținutul is singular: the content. But in English, when talking about a bag or suitcase, we very often say the contents. So a natural translation here is usually:

• the passenger declares the contents

In other contexts, conținutul could also be translated as:

• the content
• what is inside

Because Romanian often leaves possession understood from context when it is obvious.

In this sentence, the passenger is at the lost luggage counter, so conținutul naturally means the contents of the lost baggage being discussed. Romanian does not need to say his/her contents or the contents of the bag unless clarity requires it.

If you wanted to make it explicit, Romanian could say something like:

• declară conținutul bagajului = declares the contents of the luggage
• își declară conținutul bagajului might sound awkward depending on context, because conținutul belongs to the bag, not really to the person

So the original sentence is concise and normal.

The basic structure is:

• Îndată ce ajunge la ghișeul de bagaje pierdute = subordinate time clause
• pasagerul declară conținutul = main clause

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, but this order is natural and clear. It corresponds to:

• As soon as he arrives at the lost luggage counter, the passenger declares the contents.

You could also put the main clause first in some contexts:

• Pasagerul declară conținutul îndată ce ajunge la ghișeul de bagaje pierdute.

That is also correct.

The main special letters here are:

• Î / î: a close central vowel, somewhat like the sound in Romanian în; there is no exact English equivalent
• ă: a short neutral vowel, similar to the a in sofa
• ș: sh as in ship
• ț: ts as in cats

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Îndată ≈ uhn-DA-tuh
• ghișeul ≈ gee-SHEH-ul
• bagaje ≈ ba-GA-zhe
• pierdute ≈ pyer-DU-te
• declară ≈ de-KLA-rə
• conținutul ≈ kon-tsi-NU-tu-l

These are only approximations, but they can help you get started.

It literally means declares, but in context it can overlap with reports, states, or gives a description of.

At a lost luggage counter, a declara conținutul means to officially state what was inside the bag. So in natural English, you might translate it as:

• declares the contents
• reports what the bag contained
• states the contents

So yes, declară is literally declares, but the practical meaning in this situation is broader.