Spălăm tocătorul și ustensila.

Spălăm is the 1st person plural present tense of the verb a spăla, meaning to wash.

So:

• a spăla = to wash
• spălăm = we wash

In Romanian, the present tense can also often translate naturally as we are washing, depending on context.

Romanian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• spălăm already tells you the subject is we
• so noi spălăm is possible, but usually unnecessary

You would add noi only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Noi spălăm tocătorul și ustensila. = We are washing the chopping board and the utensil.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, unlike English, which uses a separate word like the.

So:

• tocător = chopping board / cutter
• tocătorul = the chopping board

and:

• ustensilă = utensil
• ustensila = the utensil

This is one of the most important differences from English: Romanian uses an enclitic definite article.

The base form is tocător.

In this sentence:

• tocător = chopping board
• tocătorul = the chopping board

A useful note: tocător is a neuter noun in Romanian. Neuter nouns behave:

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

So in the singular definite form, it looks like a masculine noun:

• tocătorul

The base form is ustensilă.

So:

• o ustensilă = a utensil
• ustensila = the utensil

This is a feminine noun, and the final -a here marks the definite singular form.

Și means and.

It is pronounced approximately like shee in English.

A useful spelling point:

• ș = sh sound
• so și sounds like shee

Without the comma below the s, si would be a different spelling.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

spuh-LUHm toh-kuh-TOH-rul sh ee oos-ten-SEE-la

A few sound notes:

• ă is a short central vowel, similar to the a in sofa
• â/î is a different central vowel with no exact English equivalent
• ș = sh
• ț = ts

More carefully:

• Spălăm → spuh-LUHM
• tocătorul → to-kuh-TOH-rul
• și → shee
• ustensila → oos-ten-SEE-la

Because Romanian usually does not use a separate word for the. Instead, it adds the definite article to the end of the noun.

Compare:

• English: the chopping board

• Romanian: tocătorul

• English: the utensil
• Romanian: ustensila

So even though you do not see a separate word like the, the sentence is still definite.

Yes. Romanian present tense often covers both:

• we wash
• we are washing

So Spălăm tocătorul și ustensila could mean either, depending on context.

If you are describing what is happening right now, English often prefers:

• We are washing the chopping board and the utensil.

If you are speaking more generally or habitually, English might prefer:

• We wash the chopping board and the utensil.

Romanian uses pe before certain direct objects, especially when they are people or highly specific animate beings.

But here, the objects are inanimate things:

• tocătorul
• ustensila

So pe is not used.

For example:

• Văd copilul. / Îl văd pe copil. = I see the child.

But with objects like tools or kitchen items, no pe is needed.

Yes, Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, although Spălăm tocătorul și ustensila is the most neutral order.

You might also hear:

• Tocătorul și ustensila le spălăm. = The chopping board and the utensil, we wash them.
• Ustensila și tocătorul spălăm. = possible, but less neutral and more marked

The usual simple pattern is:

• Verb + object(s)

So this sentence sounds natural and standard.

It is understandable and correct, but in everyday speech Romanians may often use more specific words depending on the object:

• lingura = the spoon
• cuțitul = the knife
• furculița = the fork
• spatula = the spatula

Ustensilă is more general, like utensil in English. It is perfectly fine, but a specific tool name is often more common in normal conversation.

If you wanted to say a chopping board and a utensil instead of the chopping board and the utensil, you would remove the definite endings and usually add the indefinite articles:

• Spălăm un tocător și o ustensilă.

Breakdown:

• un tocător = a chopping board
• o ustensilă = a utensil

So the original sentence is definite, while this version is indefinite.