Copilul rămâne în mijloc.

Copilul means the child.

The base noun is copil = child.
The ending -ul is the Romanian definite article, so:

• copil = a child
• copilul = the child

Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of before it.

Rămâne means remains or stays.

It comes from the verb a rămâne = to remain / to stay.

So depending on context, the sentence can feel like:

• The child remains in the middle
• The child stays in the middle

Both are natural translations.

Romanian often leaves out the subject pronoun when it is clear from the verb or from the noun already present.

Here, the subject is explicitly stated as copilul = the child, so there is no need to add el or ea.

English needs a subject in every sentence, but Romanian does not always need a separate pronoun.

În mijloc means in the middle.

• în = in
• mijloc = middle

Together they form a very common expression meaning in the middle or at the center.

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the noun, but in some fixed expressions, Romanian can use the noun without the article where English would naturally say the.

So în mijloc is a normal expression meaning in the middle.

You may also see related forms in longer phrases, such as:

• în mijlocul camerei = in the middle of the room

Here mijlocul includes the definite article -ul.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

rămâne ≈ ruh-MUH-neh

A few notes:

• ă is a short neutral vowel, something like the a in sofa
• â is a deeper central vowel that English does not really have
• the stress is usually on the second syllable here: ră-MÂ-ne

You do not need perfect pronunciation immediately, but it helps to notice that ă and â are different sounds.

This is the most neutral and natural word order:

• Copilul = subject
• rămâne = verb
• în mijloc = place expression

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, but changing it can change emphasis. For example:

• În mijloc rămâne copilul = more marked, with extra focus on in the middle
• Rămâne copilul în mijloc = possible in some contexts, but less neutral

So for learners, Copilul rămâne în mijloc is the safest standard order.

Copil is grammatically masculine in Romanian.

So:

• singular indefinite: un copil = a child
• singular definite: copilul = the child
• plural indefinite: copii = children
• plural definite: copiii = the children

Even though child can refer to either a boy or a girl in real life, the noun itself is grammatically masculine.

Not normally.

Rămâne usually means remains / stays, not is left in a passive sense.

If you wanted is left, Romanian would often use a different structure depending on the context.

So the natural understanding here is that the child stays or remains in the middle, not that someone left the child there.

The dictionary forms are:

• copilul → copil = child
• rămâne → a rămâne = to remain / to stay
• în → în = in
• mijloc → mijloc = middle

Romanian verbs are usually listed with a in the dictionary, so a rămâne is the full infinitive form.