Surpriza este plăcută.

to be

Breakdown of Surpriza este plăcută.

• plăcut: pleasant
• surpriza: the surprise

Questions & Answers about Surpriza este plăcută.

Where is the word the in Surpriza?

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun, not written as a separate word.

So:

• surpriză = a surprise
• surpriza = the surprise

That final -a is doing the job that the does in English.

What is the dictionary form of surpriza?

The dictionary form is surpriză.

That is the indefinite singular form, meaning a surprise.
When it becomes definite, Romanian changes it to surpriza, meaning the surprise.

This is very common with feminine nouns ending in -ă:

• casă → casa
• masă → masa
• surpriză → surpriza

Why do we need este here?

Este is the 3rd person singular present form of a fi, meaning to be.

So:

• eu sunt = I am
• tu ești = you are
• el/ea este = he/she is

In Surpriza este plăcută, este means is.

Unlike in some other languages, Romanian normally keeps the verb to be in this kind of sentence, so you do need it here.