Simbolul arată codul.

Because -ul is the definite article attached to the end of the noun in Romanian.

• simbol = symbol
• simbolul = the symbol
• cod = code
• codul = the code

Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word.

The basic forms are:

• simbol
• cod

These are the forms you would usually find in a dictionary. In the sentence, they appear as simbolul and codul because they are definite: the symbol, the code.

Arată is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a arăta.

So it can mean:

• he shows
• she shows
• it shows

In this sentence, the subject is simbolul, so arată means the symbol shows.

The infinitive is a arăta, which usually means to show.

It can also have related meanings such as to indicate or, in some contexts, to look/appear. But in this sentence, the meaning is clearly to show.

Romanian normally uses an enclitic definite article, which means the article is attached to the noun.

So:

• English: the symbol

• Romanian: simbolul

• English: the code
• Romanian: codul

This is one of the biggest differences English speakers notice when learning Romanian.

In this sentence, the most natural reading comes from word order and meaning:

• Simbolul = the subject
• arată = the verb
• codul = the direct object

So the structure is:

Simbolul / arată / codul
The symbol / shows / the code

Because both nouns are definite and have the same ending pattern, word order is especially helpful here.

Romanian word order is more flexible than English, but Simbolul arată codul is the most neutral and straightforward order.

If you changed the order, the sentence might sound more marked, literary, or focused on a particular element. For a learner, it is best to understand this sentence as a normal subject–verb–object pattern.

The letter ă is a special Romanian vowel. It is pronounced like a short, relaxed vowel, somewhat similar to the a in English about or sofa, but not exactly the same.

In arată, both ă sounds are this vowel:

• a-ră-tă

So the word is not pronounced as if it were plain a.

Because ă and a are different letters in Romanian, and they represent different sounds.

That means:

• a = one vowel sound
• ă = another vowel sound

The spelling arată must be learned exactly as written, because changing the diacritic changes pronunciation and can sometimes create a different word or an incorrect form.

Both simbol and cod are generally treated as neuter nouns in Romanian.

Romanian neuter nouns behave:

• like masculine in the singular
• like feminine in the plural

That is why in the singular they take the definite article -ul:

• simbolul
• codul

Romanian present tense often covers both simple and continuous meanings in English, depending on context.

So arată can correspond to:

• shows
• is showing

In a short isolated sentence like this, English usually translates it as shows, but context could make is showing possible too.

Without the definite article, you would have:

Simbol arată cod — but this is not natural Romanian in this context.

More natural indefinite versions would be something like:

• Un simbol arată un cod. = A symbol shows a code.
• Simbolul arată un cod. = The symbol shows a code.
• Un simbol arată codul. = A symbol shows the code.

So the original sentence specifically means the symbol shows the code.

Yes. In this sentence, codul is the thing being shown, so it is the direct object.

The verb a arăta commonly takes a direct object:

• arată ceva = shows something

Here:

• simbolul = the thing that shows
• codul = the thing shown

So codul is the direct object.