În ciuda scării, cărăm salteaua fără cărucior.

Because în ciuda is a fixed expression that is followed by the genitive case.

• scară = staircase / ladder / scale
• scării = of the staircase / of the stairs (genitive-dative form)

So:

• în ciuda scării = despite the staircase / despite the stairs

This is similar to how some English expressions require a certain structure, even if the literal wording feels unusual.

În ciuda means despite or in spite of.

It is a fairly common and standard expression. It is a bit more formal or literary than some everyday alternatives, but it is absolutely normal Romanian.

Examples:

• În ciuda ploii, plecăm. = Despite the rain, we are leaving.
• În ciuda oboselii, continuă. = In spite of the tiredness, he/she continues.

A very common alternative is:

• în ciuda + genitive
• în pofida + genitive

Both mean roughly the same thing.

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

• cărăm = we carry / we are carrying

Because the ending -ăm already shows 1st person plural, Romanian usually does not need noi.

So both are possible:

• Cărăm salteaua.
• Noi cărăm salteaua.

The version without noi is more natural unless you want emphasis:

• Noi cărăm salteaua, nu ei. = We are carrying the mattress, not them.

It is present tense, 1st person plural.

From the verb:

• a căra = to carry / to haul

Conjugation in the present:

• eu car
• tu cari
• el/ea cară
• noi cărăm
• voi cărați
• ei/ele cară

So cărăm salteaua means:

• we carry the mattress
• or, depending on context, we are carrying the mattress

Romanian present tense can cover both the simple present and the present continuous idea.

Because salteaua is the definite form: the mattress.

• saltea = a mattress
• salteaua = the mattress

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not as a separate word like English the.

So:

• o saltea = a mattress
• salteaua = the mattress

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

Because pe is not normally used with an inanimate direct object like salteaua.

Romanian often uses pe before:

• people
• animate beings
• specific pronouns
• sometimes highly specific/marked objects in certain styles

Examples:

• Văd fata. / O văd pe fata aceea.
• Îl văd pe Andrei.

But with a normal inanimate object:

• Cărăm salteaua. = correct
• pe salteaua would not be normal here

So salteaua is simply the direct object without pe.

Fără means without.

So:

• fără cărucior = without a cart / trolley

A few useful points:

• fără does not require a definite noun here.
• cărucior is indefinite: a cart / trolley

Depending on context, cărucior can mean different kinds of wheeled carriers:

• small cart
• trolley
• stroller/pushchair

In this sentence, because they are carrying a mattress, the intended meaning is probably without a cart/trolley.

Romanian word order is flexible, and this sentence starts with the contrastive idea first:

• În ciuda scării = despite the staircase/stairs

Then comes the main action:

• cărăm salteaua = we carry the mattress

Then the added detail:

• fără cărucior = without a cart/trolley

This fronting is natural when you want to set the scene first:

• Despite the stairs, we’re carrying the mattress without a cart.

You could rearrange parts of the sentence, but this order is very understandable and emphasizes the obstacle first.

Yes, scării is singular in form, from scară.

This can feel confusing to English speakers because English normally uses stairs in the plural. Romanian can use scară to refer to:

• a staircase
• a stairwell
• the stairs as a structure

So în ciuda scării can mean despite the staircase/stairs.

That said, depending on the exact intended meaning, Romanians might also say something like:

• în ciuda scărilor = despite the stairs

So if you were thinking of multiple steps rather than the staircase as one obstacle, the plural is also possible in other contexts.

The main special vowels here are ă and â.

• ă = a short neutral vowel, similar to the a in English about
• â = a deeper central vowel, a sound English does not really have

In this sentence:

• În → the â/î sound is that special central vowel
• cărăm → first vowel is ă, middle vowel is ă
• salteaua → pronounced roughly sal-tea-wa
• cărucior → starts with că-, again that ă sound

A rough learner-friendly pronunciation guide:

• În ciuda scării ≈ un CHOO-da SKUH-ree
• cărăm salteaua ≈ kuh-RUHM sal-TEA-wa
• fără cărucior ≈ FUH-ruh kuh-roo-CHOR

These are only approximations, but they help at the beginning.

A learner might notice that cărăm and cărucior look similar.

• a căra = to carry
• cărucior = small cart / trolley / stroller

They are indeed related in meaning: both involve carrying or transport.

Also, -ucior is a diminutive-type ending in Romanian, so cărucior originally suggests something like a small carrier/cart.

For vocabulary building, it can help to connect them:

• a căra = to carry
• cărare = path (different word, so be careful)
• cărucior = little wheeled carrier/cart/stroller

Yes. Romanian present tense often covers both:

• we carry
• we are carrying

So cărăm salteaua can mean either:

• a general present statement, or
• something happening now

Context decides which one is intended.

For example:

• Acum cărăm salteaua. = We are carrying the mattress now.
• De obicei cărăm mobila singuri. = We usually carry the furniture ourselves.

In your sentence, it most naturally sounds like a present ongoing situation or immediate statement.