Departamentul de resurse umane explică perioada de probă.

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

• departament = department
• departamentul = the department

So -ul is the masculine/neuter singular definite article here. Romanian often says the department as one word, not two.

de here means of and links the department to its function or field.

So:

• departamentul de resurse umane = the department of human resources

This is a very common Romanian structure:

• departament de marketing = marketing department
• curs de română = Romanian course
• sală de sport = gym / sports hall

English often uses a noun directly before another noun, but Romanian very often uses de instead.

Because umane agrees with resurse.

• resurse is feminine plural
• the adjective must also be feminine plural
• so: umane

Compare:

• resursă umană = human resource
• resurse umane = human resources

Romanian adjectives usually change form to match the noun in gender and number.

Because this phrase works like a category or label: human resources.

In Romanian, after de, the second noun is often left indefinite when it describes type, function, or category.

So:

• departamentul de resurse umane = the human resources department

Not:

• departamentul de resursele umane — this would sound wrong in this context

The first noun is definite because we are talking about the department; the phrase after de simply identifies what kind of department it is.

explică is the 3rd person singular present tense of a explica = to explain.

So:

• eu explic = I explain
• tu explici = you explain
• el/ea explică = he/she explains

Since the subject is departamentul, which is singular, the verb must also be singular:

• Departamentul ... explică = The department explains

For the same reason as departamentul: Romanian usually attaches the definite article to the noun.

• perioadă = period
• perioada = the period

Here -a is the definite article for a feminine singular noun.

So:

• perioada de probă = the probation period

Romanian often uses de + noun where English uses a noun as an adjective or a fixed compound.

So:

• perioadă de probă literally = period of trial/testing
• natural meaning = probation period

Here probă means something like test, trial, or proof, depending on context. In this phrase, it refers to the trial/probation stage of employment.

Romanian can sometimes use adjectives too, but de + noun is extremely common and natural.

Because de probă describes the type of period, not a specific separate noun that needs the.

Think of it as:

• the period of probation
• not the period of the probation

Romanian often keeps the noun after de indefinite in these descriptive expressions:

• sală de clasă = classroom
• perioadă de probă = probation period
• articol de ziar = newspaper article

Because perioada de probă is a direct object, and Romanian usually does not mark ordinary inanimate direct objects with pe.

So:

• Departamentul explică perioada de probă. = correct

The preposition pe is mainly used with:

• people
• specific animate direct objects
• some strongly definite or emphasized objects in certain contexts

Since perioada de probă is an inanimate thing, no pe is needed here.

The normal, neutral order is:

• Subject + Verb + Object
• Departamentul de resurse umane explică perioada de probă.

This is the most natural version for a straightforward statement.

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, so you might also see variations for emphasis, such as putting the object earlier. But for a learner, the standard order in this sentence is the best one to use.

ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It sounds like a short, relaxed uh sound, similar to the a in English sofa.

So:

• explică ends roughly like -kuh
• probă ends roughly like -buh

It is not the same as a in cat or father.

A rough pronunciation of the whole sentence is:

de-par-ta-MEN-tul de re-SUR-se u-MA-ne eks-PLI-kə pe-ri-OA-da de PRO-bə

This is only approximate, but it helps with the general sound.

The main nouns are:

• departament — neuter
• resursă — feminine
• perioadă — feminine
• probă — feminine

A useful Romanian fact: neuter nouns behave like masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural.

So:

• singular: departamentul
• plural: departamentele

That is why departamentul takes the singular definite ending -ul.