Petentul pregătește înscrisurile.

Because Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not before it as English does.

• petent = petitioner / applicant / claimant
• petentul = the petitioner / the applicant

So the ending -ul is the masculine singular definite article.

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice in Romanian:

• băiat = boy
• băiatul = the boy
• petent = petitioner
• petentul = the petitioner

Petentul is a rather formal or administrative/legal word. It usually refers to someone who submits a request, complaint, or petition to an institution.

Depending on context, it may be translated as:

• the petitioner
• the applicant
• the complainant
• the claimant

A native English speaker might notice that this is not the most casual everyday Romanian vocabulary. In ordinary speech, other words may be more common depending on the situation, but petent is perfectly normal in official language.

Pregătește is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb a pregăti = to prepare.

So it can mean:

• he prepares
• she prepares
• it prepares

Romanian often does not need an explicit subject pronoun such as he or she, because the verb ending already gives that information. Here, the noun petentul is the subject, so pregătește means the petitioner prepares.

Basic pattern:

• a pregăti = to prepare
• eu pregătesc = I prepare
• tu pregătești = you prepare
• el/ea pregătește = he/she prepares

This form has two Romanian letters that English speakers often ask about:

• ă in pregătește
• ș in pregătește

Pronunciation guide:

• ă is a short central vowel, something like the a in sofa, but shorter and less stressed.
• ș is pronounced sh, like in ship.

So pregătește sounds roughly like preh-guh-TEH-shteh.

Also notice ște at the end:

• șt is pronounced like sht
• so pregătește ends with something close to -teh-shteh

Înscrisurile is the definite plural form of înscris.

In formal/legal Romanian, înscris often means a written document, record, or documentary piece of evidence. So înscrisurile can mean:

• the documents
• the written records
• the written submissions
• the documentary evidence

The most natural English translation depends on context. In legal or bureaucratic language, it is more specific and formal than just any random written thing.

Because -le is the plural definite article here, attached to the plural noun form.

The structure is:

• înscris = singular indefinite
• înscrisuri = plural indefinite, documents
• înscrisurile = plural definite, the documents

So Romanian again puts the article at the end of the noun rather than using a separate word like the.

It is a neuter noun.

Romanian neuter nouns behave:

• like masculine nouns in the singular
• like feminine nouns in the plural

That is why you see:

• singular: un înscris = a document
• plural: două înscrisuri = two documents

This mixed behavior is very typical of Romanian neuter nouns and can seem unusual to English speakers, since English has mostly lost grammatical gender.

Because Romanian normally uses a suffixed definite article. Instead of putting the before the noun, Romanian usually adds the article to the end of the noun.

Compare:

• English: the petitioner

• Romanian: petentul

• English: the documents
• Romanian: înscrisurile

This is one of the most characteristic features of Romanian grammar.

In this sentence, the roles are mainly clear from:

1. word order
2. verb agreement
3. meaning/context

The normal Romanian order here is:

• Petentul = subject
• pregătește = verb
• înscrisurile = direct object

So the default reading is:

• The petitioner prepares the documents

Romanian can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but this sentence uses the standard, neutral order: subject + verb + object.

Yes, Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but the version given is the most neutral and natural one.

Neutral order:

• Petentul pregătește înscrisurile.

A different order might be used for emphasis:

• Înscrisurile le pregătește petentul.

That version puts more focus on the documents, but it is less neutral and usually needs extra structure, such as le.

For a learner, the best takeaway is:

• Petentul pregătește înscrisurile is the normal straightforward way to say it.

Because pe is mainly used to mark certain direct objects, especially specific human beings or strongly individualized animate objects.

For example:

• Văd omul.
• Îl văd pe omul acela.

But înscrisurile means the documents, which are inanimate, so pe is not used.

That is why:

• Petentul pregătește înscrisurile is correct
• not Petentul pregătește pe înscrisurile

On its own, a pregăti usually means to prepare something. In this sentence it is clearly transitive, because it has a direct object: înscrisurile.

So here it means:

• prepares the documents

If you want the idea gets ready, Romanian often uses a reflexive form:

• se pregătește = he/she gets ready / is getting ready

So:

• Petentul pregătește înscrisurile = The petitioner prepares the documents
• Petentul se pregătește = The petitioner gets ready

Yes. Both petentul and înscrisurile sound fairly official, bureaucratic, or legal.

A more everyday Romanian sentence might use more common vocabulary depending on context, but this sentence sounds like something you could see in:

• legal documents
• administrative instructions
• court or claims procedures
• official correspondence

So even if the grammar is basic, the vocabulary has a noticeably formal register.