Regina vorbește cu regele.

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

So:

• regină = a queen
• regina = the queen
• rege = a king
• regele = the king

That is why Regina vorbește cu regele already means The queen speaks with the king.

Because Romanian nouns form the definite article differently depending on gender and noun type.

Here:

• regină is feminine singular, and its definite form is regina
• rege is masculine singular, and its definite form is regele

A very common pattern is:

• feminine singular definite: -a
• masculine singular definite: often -l or -le, depending on the noun

So the difference is normal and expected.

Vorbește is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb a vorbi, meaning to speak or to talk.

So vorbește can mean:

• he speaks
• she speaks
• it speaks
• and, depending on context, also is speaking

In this sentence, because the subject is regina, it means the queen speaks / is speaking.

Yes. Romanian present tense often covers both ideas.

So Regina vorbește cu regele can mean:

• The queen speaks with the king
• The queen is speaking with the king

The exact meaning depends on context.

Cu means with.

So:

• vorbește cu regele = speaks with the king

It shows who the queen is speaking with.

Because regele is not a direct object here.

In Romanian, pe is often used before a specific direct object, especially a person. But in this sentence, regele comes after the preposition cu, so it is part of a prepositional phrase, not a direct object.

So:

• Regina îl vede pe rege = The queen sees the king
• Regina vorbește cu regele = The queen speaks with the king

That is why pe is not used here.

Romanian prepositions usually require the noun to be in the accusative/oblique form. But with many nouns, including these, the form looks the same as the normal nominative/accusative form.

So after cu, we still get:

• cu regele = with the king

There is no extra visible change here beyond the normal definite form of the noun.

The normal, neutral word order here is:

• Regina = subject
• vorbește = verb
• cu regele = prepositional phrase

So Regina vorbește cu regele is the most straightforward order.

Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though. You can sometimes move parts around for emphasis, but the given order is the most natural default for a learner.

A rough pronunciation is:

reh-JEE-nah vor-BEH-shteh koo REH-jeh-leh

A few useful sound notes:

• g before e or i is pronounced like j in judge
  • so regina, regele start with a rej- sound
• ș is pronounced like sh
  • so vorbește has sh
• cu is pronounced koo

Approximate stress:

• re-GI-na
• vor-BEȘ-te
• RE-ge-le

Yes, you can, if the context already makes the subject clear.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns, because the verb form already shows the person and number. With vorbește, the subject is he/she/it.

So:

• Vorbește cu regele = He/She is speaking with the king

But if you specifically want to say the queen, then you keep Regina.

The dictionary forms are usually the indefinite singular forms for nouns and the infinitive for verbs.

So here they are:

• regină = queen
• rege = king
• a vorbi = to speak / to talk
• cu = with

The sentence uses inflected forms:

• regina = the queen
• regele = the king
• vorbește = speaks / is speaking