Fotoliul voluminos trece pragul.

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

• fotoliu = armchair
• fotoliul = the armchair

So -ul here is the equivalent of the.

Romanian normally uses an attached definite article, not a separate word before the noun.

So:

• fotoliul = the armchair
• pragul = the threshold

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

In Romanian, descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun.

So the normal order is:

• fotoliul voluminos = the bulky / voluminous armchair

You can sometimes place the adjective before the noun, but that usually sounds more emphatic, literary, or stylistic. The version in the sentence is the most neutral and standard one.

Because fotoliu is a neuter noun, and in the singular, Romanian neuter nouns usually take the masculine singular form of the adjective.

So:

• singular: fotoliu voluminos
• plural: fotolii voluminoase

This is a classic Romanian pattern: neuter nouns behave like masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural.

Trece is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb a trece.

Here it agrees with fotoliul:

• eu trec = I pass / cross
• tu treci = you pass / cross
• el/ea trece = he/she/it passes / crosses

So Fotoliul voluminos trece pragul uses trece because the subject is singular: the bulky armchair.

Here a trece means something like:

• to pass
• to cross
• to go past

In this sentence, trece pragul most naturally means crosses the threshold or passes over the threshold.

Like many verbs, a trece can have slightly different translations depending on context.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific threshold: the threshold.

• prag = threshold
• pragul = the threshold

So trece pragul means crosses the threshold, not just crosses a threshold.

Because Romanian can use a trece directly with a direct object.

So:

• a trece pragul = to cross the threshold

This is perfectly normal Romanian. English often uses expressions like cross the threshold or go over the threshold, but Romanian does not need a preposition here.

You may also hear phrases with peste in other contexts, but trece pragul is completely natural.

Because pe is usually used with specific animate direct objects, especially people.

For example:

• Văd pe Maria. = I see Maria.

But pragul is inanimate, so no pe is used:

• trece pragul = correct

The sentence uses the most neutral Romanian word order:

• Subject + Verb + Object
• Fotoliul voluminos
  • trece
    • pragul

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but this version is the most straightforward and natural if you are simply stating a fact.

Not always. In Romanian, voluminos often means:

• bulky
• large
• taking up a lot of space

So for furniture, voluminos often sounds closer to bulky than to the more literary English word voluminous.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

fo-TO-lee-ul vo-loo-mi-NOS TRE-che PRA-gul

A few useful points:

• ce in trece sounds like che in check
• r is rolled or tapped
• stress is roughly on:
  • to in fotoliul
  • nos in voluminos
  • tre in trece
  • pra in pragul