Bunicul trăiește bine.

Because Romanian usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun.

• bunic = grandfather / grandpa in a more dictionary-style form
• bunicul = the grandfather / grandpa

So bunicul is bunic + -ul, where -ul is the masculine singular definite article.

This is one of the first big differences from English: Romanian often says the by adding it to the noun instead of putting a separate word before it.

It can be either, depending on context and tone.

• bunicul can mean the grandfather
• It can also naturally mean grandpa when you are talking about your own grandfather

In everyday speech, family words like this often sound very natural and personal, even though they are grammatically definite.

Because Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

In trăiește, the verb ending already tells you it is:

• 3rd person
• singular
• so: he/she/it lives

That means Romanian does not need to say el (he) here.
You could say El trăiește bine, but that would usually add emphasis, like He is doing well.

Trăiește is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a trăi (to live).

A quick breakdown:

• a trăi = to live
• eu trăiesc = I live
• tu trăiești = you live
• el/ea trăiește = he/she lives

Since bunicul is singular, the verb must also be singular: trăiește.

Here a trăi means to live in the general sense.

With bine, it can suggest ideas like:

• living well
• doing well in life
• getting along well
• being in good condition

So the sentence can sound a little broader than just he is alive. It may suggest that the grandfather is managing well or feeling well, depending on context.

Bine is an adverb, and it means well.

It modifies the verb trăiește, so it tells you how he lives.

Compare:

• bun = good
• bine = well

This is similar to English:

• a good life → adjective
• to live well → adverb

Because bun is an adjective, while bine is an adverb.

You use:

• bun to describe a noun
• bine to describe a verb, adjective, or whole situation

Here the word is describing trăiește (lives), so you need the adverb bine.

For example:

• un bunic bun = a good grandfather
• bunicul trăiește bine = grandpa lives well

This is the most neutral and natural word order.

• Bunicul = subject
• trăiește = verb
• bine = adverb

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but changing it often changes the emphasis.

For example:

• Bunicul trăiește bine = neutral
• Bine trăiește bunicul = marked; stronger focus on well
• Bunicul bine trăiește = possible, but less natural in ordinary speech

So for a learner, Bunicul trăiește bine is the safest standard pattern.

A rough pronunciation is truh-YESH-teh, but with Romanian sounds that do not match English perfectly.

A few important parts:

• ă is a short central vowel, similar to the a in sofa
• ie here glides smoothly together
• ș is sh
• e at the end is pronounced, not silent

So:

• trăiește ≈ truh-YESH-teh

Also, the stress is on -ieș-: tră-IÉȘ-te.

A rough guide is boo-NEE-cool.

More exactly:

• bu as in boo
• ni like nee
• cul with a clear k sound and a short u

The stress is on the middle syllable: bu-NI-cul.

Yes, they matter a lot in correct Romanian writing.

In trăiește:

• ă
• ș

are real letters, not optional decorations.

Writing traieste instead of trăiește is common in informal typing sometimes, but it is not the proper standard spelling. For learners, it is best to learn and use the diacritics from the beginning.

Yes, a little.

Depending on context, Bunicul trăiește bine could suggest:

• Grandpa lives well
• Grandpa is doing well
• Grandpa is living well
• sometimes even Grandpa is getting along fine

So even if the basic meaning is clear, the exact English wording may change depending on the situation.

Sometimes, yes.

If the context is about money, comfort, or lifestyle, trăiește bine can suggest:

• he lives comfortably
• he has a good standard of living
• he is doing well materially

But in other contexts it may simply mean:

• he is doing fine
• he is in good shape
• life is going well for him

So the phrase is broad, and context decides how specific it is.