Descărcăm duba.

Descărcăm is the 1st person plural present tense of a descărca.

So it means we unload or we are unloading.

The ending -ăm tells you the subject is we.

Romanian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

So:

• Descărcăm duba = We unload the van
• Noi descărcăm duba = also correct, but noi adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity

For example, Noi descărcăm duba, ei încarcă mașina = We unload the van, they load the car.

Because dubă means a van, while duba means the van.

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

So:

• dubă = a van
• duba = the van

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

• casă → casa
• dubă → duba

It is built into the noun itself.

In English, you say the van with a separate word.
In Romanian, you attach the definite article to the noun:

• van = dubă
• the van = duba

This is very normal in Romanian.

It can mean either one.

Romanian present tense often covers both:

• we unload
• we are unloading

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

If you want to make right now clearer, Romanian often adds a time word such as acum:

• Descărcăm duba acum = We are unloading the van now

Because duba is an inanimate direct object.

Romanian uses pe mainly with specific animate direct objects, especially people.

So:

• Văd casa = I see the house
• O văd pe Maria = I see Maria

Since a van is not animate, you simply say duba, not pe duba.

The sentence uses a very normal Romanian order:

verb + object

• Descărcăm duba = We unload the van

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though. You could also say:

• Noi descărcăm duba

That still means the same thing, but with the subject stated explicitly.

A rough English-style approximation is:

des-kuhr-KUHM DOO-ba

A few important points:

• descărcăm has the stress on the last syllable: -căm
• duba has the stress on the first syllable: DU-
• ă is a separate Romanian vowel, pronounced like a short, relaxed uh

So ă is not just an accented a. It is its own letter and sound.

Yes.

In Descărcăm duba, duba is the direct object, so grammatically it is in the accusative.

However, in Romanian, the nominative and accusative forms are often identical in shape, so you usually recognize the case from the sentence function, not from a special ending.

Yes. It is closely related to a încărca, which means to load.

So:

• a încărca = to load
• a descărca = to unload

The beginning des- often gives a sense of reversal, removal, or undoing. That is why a descărca is the opposite of a încărca here.