Balta este mică.

Balta is the definite form: the pond / the pool / the swampy pool.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• baltă = a pond / a pool
• balta = the pond / the pool

So in this sentence, balta means the pond.

Este means is. It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb a fi (to be).

So the sentence is built like:

• Balta = the pond
• este = is
• mică = small

Yes. E is a very common short form of este in everyday Romanian.

So both are correct:

• Balta este mică. = a bit more full/formal/neutral
• Balta e mică. = very common in normal speech

A learner will hear e very often.

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in gender and number.

Baltă is a feminine singular noun, so the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• masculine singular: mic
• feminine singular: mică

So:

• un lac mic = a small lake
• o baltă mică = a small pond

In your sentence, balta is feminine singular, so mică is required.

One clue is its ending in the basic form: baltă ends in -ă, which is very often feminine in Romanian.

Also, the article form balta and the adjective mică both confirm that it is feminine.

So the sentence gives you two helpful signals:

• balta = feminine noun with definite article
• mică = feminine singular adjective

This is the most basic and neutral word order:

• Subject + verb + adjective

So Balta este mică is the normal way to say it.

Romanian can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but a beginner should learn this version first. For example, Mică este balta would sound marked or poetic, not the default everyday order.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

BAL-ta YES-te MEE-kuh

A few notes:

• balta → stress on the first syllable: BAL-ta
• este often sounds like YES-te
• mică → MEE-kuh
• the Romanian letter ă is a short central vowel, something like the a in sofa

A rough IPA version is:

[ˈbal.ta ˈjes.te ˈmi.kə]

Romanian usually uses a suffix definite article, attached to the end of the noun.

So instead of:

• English: the pond

Romanian says:

• baltă
  • -a → balta

This is one of the big differences between English and Romanian grammar.

Baltă usually refers to a pond, pool, or sometimes a swampy/muddy pool of water, depending on context.

It is not usually the main word for a large lake. For a lake, Romanian normally uses lac.

So baltă often suggests something:

• smaller
• shallower
• more natural or muddy
• sometimes even just a pool of standing water

If you want a full sentence meaning The pond is small, you normally need the verb:

• Balta este mică.

Without the verb, balta mică usually means a noun phrase, like:

• the small pond

So:

• Balta este mică. = complete sentence
• balta mică = noun phrase

That is an important difference.

The dictionary forms are:

• baltă = pond / pool
• a fi = to be
• mic = small

In the sentence, they appear as:

• balta = definite form of baltă
• este = a form of a fi
• mică = feminine singular form of mic

This is very common in Romanian: the words you see in a sentence are often changed to match article, person, gender, or number.