Contravenientul citește sancțiunea.

They are the Romanian definite article, equivalent to English the.

Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

• contravenient = offender / violator
• contravenientul = the offender
• sancțiune = sanction / penalty
• sancțiunea = the sanction / penalty

So both nouns in this sentence are definite.

This is a normal feminine singular definite form.

The base noun is sancțiune. To make it definite, Romanian adds the feminine article -a, giving sancțiunea.

So:

• sancțiune = a sanction / sanction
• sancțiunea = the sanction

The written ending -ea is just the result of adding the article to a noun that already ends in -e. English speakers often notice it because it looks longer than expected, but it is completely regular.

Because citește is the conjugated form, while citi is only the dictionary form.

The infinitive is a citi = to read.

In this sentence, the subject is he/she/it or a singular noun (contravenientul), so Romanian uses the 3rd person singular present:

• eu citesc = I read
• tu citești = you read
• el/ea citește = he/she reads
• noi citim = we read
• voi citiți = you all read
• ei/ele citesc = they read

So Contravenientul citește... means The offender reads...

It can mean both, depending on context.

Romanian present tense often covers both:

• he reads
• he is reading

So Contravenientul citește sancțiunea could mean either:

• The offender reads the penalty, or
• The offender is reading the penalty

The surrounding context tells you which sense is intended.

Mainly from word order and meaning.

This sentence follows the very common Romanian pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Contravenientul = subject
• citește = verb
• sancțiunea = direct object

So the sentence structure is straightforward and works much like English:

The offender reads the penalty.

In this sentence, the noun endings themselves do not strongly mark subject vs. object, so word order is especially helpful.

Because pe is often used with direct objects that are people or highly specific animate beings, especially definite ones.

For example, Romanian often says:

• Văd pe profesor. = I see the teacher.

But sancțiunea is an inanimate thing, so pe is not used here.

So:

• citește sancțiunea = correct
• citește pe sancțiunea = incorrect

Yes, it matters, because Romanian nouns have grammatical gender, and that affects articles and agreement.

Here:

• contravenient(ul) is masculine singular
• sancțiune(a) is feminine singular

That is why their definite forms look different:

• masculine singular often takes -ul
• feminine singular often takes -a

So the endings are not random; they reflect the noun’s gender and number.

These are very important Romanian spelling features:

• ș = sh as in ship
• ț = ts as in cats
• ci before a vowel is pronounced like ch
  • ee

So:

• citește is pronounced roughly chee-TESH-te
• ș in citește sounds like sh
• ț in sancțiunea sounds like ts

Also, the stress in citește falls on the middle syllable: ci-TEȘ-te.

No, it is quite formal and especially legal/administrative.

A contravenient is a person who has committed a contravenție, which is usually a minor legal violation or administrative offense, not necessarily a serious criminal offense.

So this word sounds natural in:

• official reports
• police documents
• legal language
• administrative procedures

In everyday conversation, people might use a simpler or less technical expression depending on the context.

It can often mean reads out or announces the penalty, especially in a formal or legal context.

Romanian a citi is the ordinary verb to read, but in official contexts it can naturally imply reading something aloud or formally stating it.

So depending on context, citește sancțiunea may sound like:

• reads the penalty
• reads out the penalty
• formally reads the sanction

The given order is the neutral, standard order.

Romanian does allow word order changes for emphasis, contrast, or style, but then the sentence may sound more marked.

For example, if you want to emphasize the object, Romanian often uses clitic doubling:

• Sancțiunea o citește contravenientul.

That means something like:

• It is the penalty that the offender reads, or
• The penalty, the offender reads it

So yes, the word order can change, but Contravenientul citește sancțiunea is the simplest and most neutral version.

No. Romanian usually does not need a separate subject pronoun when the verb form already makes the person clear, or when the subject noun is stated.

Here the subject is already explicitly present:

• Contravenientul = the offender

So adding el would be unnecessary in most contexts.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns unless there is a reason to emphasize them.