Aurul este greu.

Aur means gold in a general dictionary form.

Aurul means the gold because -ul is the definite article attached to the end of the noun. Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, unlike English, which uses a separate word such as the.

So:

• aur = gold
• aurul = the gold

In a sentence like this, Romanian often uses the definite form when speaking about something as a known substance or topic.

Este means is. It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb a fi (to be).

So:

• eu sunt = I am
• tu ești = you are
• el/ea este = he/she/it is

In Aurul este greu, este links the subject aurul with the adjective greu, just like is in English.

Yes. E is a very common shorter form of este.

So both are correct:

• Aurul este greu
• Aurul e greu

The version with e is more common in everyday speech, while este can sound a little more formal or careful.

Yes. Greu is the masculine singular form of the adjective, and it matches aurul, which is masculine singular.

Romanian adjectives often agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

For example:

• masculine singular: greu
• feminine singular: grea
• masculine plural: grei
• feminine plural: grele

Since aurul is masculine singular, greu is the correct form.

No. Greu can mean heavy, but it can also mean difficult depending on context.

For example:

• Aurul este greu = The gold is heavy.
• Exercițiul este greu = The exercise is difficult.

So learners should remember that greu has more than one common meaning.

A helpful approximate pronunciation is:

OW-rul YES-teh GREH-oo

More carefully:

• au in aurul sounds roughly like ow in cow
• r is a tapped or rolled r
• este is roughly YES-te
• greu has a sound a bit like greh-oo, said smoothly

A rough IPA version is:

/ˈaw.rul ˈjes.te ɡrew/

This is the most neutral word order:

• Aurul = subject
• este = verb
• greu = adjective/complement

So it is basically like English: Subject + is + adjective.

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but this version is the normal, straightforward one. Other orders may be possible for emphasis, but for learners this is the best pattern to follow.

Yes, aur is masculine.

In Romanian, nouns have gender, and you often learn it together with the noun. One clue here is the definite singular form:

• aur → aurul

That -ul ending is a very common masculine/neuter definite ending in the singular.

Romanian neuter nouns behave like masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural, so learners sometimes group masculine and neuter endings together at first. But for this sentence, what matters is that the singular adjective form is greu, which fits aurul.

Normally, no. Aur este greu does not sound natural in standard Romanian.

If you are making a general statement about the substance, Romanian usually says:

• Aurul este greu.

Romanian does not use articles in exactly the same way English does, so even when English might say simply Gold is heavy, Romanian often prefers the definite form aurul.

It can often be understood as a general statement about the substance gold, depending on context.

That is one thing that can feel unusual to English speakers: Romanian may use the definite article where English uses no article for general statements.

So:

• English: Gold is heavy.
• Romanian: Aurul este greu.

Even though aurul literally looks like the gold, it can still express the general idea of gold as a material.

Not in this sentence. Here greu is not directly attached before the noun; it is used after este as part of the predicate:

• Aurul este greu. = The gold is heavy.

Romanian adjectives can sometimes come before or after nouns when directly describing them, but that is a different structure. In this sentence, greu is a predicate adjective, so it naturally comes after este.