Indicatorul rutier este lângă marcajul rutier.

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

So:

• indicator = a sign
• indicatorul = the sign
• marcaj = a marking
• marcajul = the marking

The ending -ul is a common masculine/neuter singular definite article ending.

In Romanian, adjectives usually come after the noun, unlike in English.

So:

• indicator rutier = road sign
• marcaj rutier = road marking

This is the normal Romanian word order: noun + adjective.

Because both noun phrases are singular and use a masculine/neuter noun in a form where rutier does not need to change.

Here:

• indicatorul rutier
• marcajul rutier

The adjective agrees with the noun, but in this sentence the matching form happens to be rutier in both cases.

If the noun changed, the adjective might change too. For example, with a feminine noun you could get rutieră instead.

Lângă means near, beside, or next to, depending on context.

In this sentence, it shows location:

• este lângă = is next to / is near

It is a very common preposition for physical position.

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

So:

• este = is

In this sentence, it links the subject to its location:

• Indicatorul rutier este lângă marcajul rutier.
• The road sign is next to the road marking.

Unlike in some informal situations in other languages, you normally keep este here.

The subject is Indicatorul rutier.

That is the thing being described. The sentence is saying where it is:

• Indicatorul rutier = the road sign
• este lângă marcajul rutier = is next to the road marking

So the basic structure is:

• Subject + verb + location

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though the version you have is the most neutral and natural.

Standard order:

• Indicatorul rutier este lângă marcajul rutier.

You might also see a reordered version for emphasis, but for a learner, it is best to keep:

• subject + verb + prepositional phrase

That is the safest pattern.

A rough pronunciation is LUHN-guh, but that is only approximate.

Two important sounds:

• â = a central vowel sound that English does not really have
• ă = a short unstressed vowel, somewhat like the a in sofa

So lângă has both of those Romanian-specific vowels. If you are learning pronunciation, it is worth listening to native audio because English does not match them exactly.

Romanian diacritics are important because they change pronunciation.

In lângă:

• â is a special Romanian vowel
• ă is another different vowel, called schwa

Without diacritics, the word would be misspelled and could confuse learners. In Romanian, diacritics are not decorative—they are part of the correct spelling.

Because Romanian is a language that usually uses a postposed definite article, meaning the article is attached to the end of the noun.

Compare:

• English: the sign
• Romanian: indicatorul

This is a major feature of Romanian grammar and one of the first things English speakers notice.

They behave similarly in this sentence, but they mean different things.

• indicator = a sign, usually a posted sign
• marcaj = a marking, often something painted or marked on the road

Both here are singular nouns with the definite article:

• indicatorul
• marcajul

They are both commonly treated as masculine/neuter-type nouns in this form.

Sometimes, yes, but the meaning is slightly different.

• lângă = next to / beside / right near
• aproape de = close to / near

So lângă usually suggests more immediate proximity. In this sentence, lângă is the better choice if the sign is right beside the road marking.

It is neutral and standard Romanian.

It sounds like the kind of sentence you might see in a textbook, driving context, safety explanation, or description of road layout. There is nothing especially formal or informal about it.