Learn Hardcore Romanian: Studentul pleacă de la școală la prânz.

Studentul means “the student.” In Romanian, the definite article (“the”) is not a separate word before the noun but a suffix attached to the noun: student (a student) + -ul (the) → studentul.

What tense and person is pleacă, and what does it translate to in English?

Pleacă is the third person singular present tense of the verb a pleca (“to leave”). It translates as “he leaves,” “she leaves,” or “he/she is leaving,” depending on context.

Why do we use de la școală for “from school” instead of din școală?

With verbs of motion like a pleca, Romanian typically uses de la + definite noun to indicate departure from a specific place. While din școală can mean “out of school,” pleacă de la școală is the more idiomatic way to say “leaves from school.”

What role does la play in la prânz?

Here, la is the preposition “at,” used for telling time. La prânz means “at lunch” or “at noon.”

How do you pronounce școală and prânz?

școală: the ș sounds like English “sh” in shoe, so it’s [ʃko.a] (SHKOH-uh).
prânz: the î is a central vowel [ɨ], so it’s [prɨnts] (PRUUNTS).

Why is there no article before prânz in la prânz?

Time expressions with la (e.g., la masă “at the meal,” la noapte “at night”) do not take a definite article on the noun. You simply say la prânz, not la prânzul.

Could pleacă ever mean “they leave” instead of “he/she leaves”?

Yes. Pleacă is ambiguous: it’s both third person singular (“he/she leaves”) and third person plural (“they leave”). Context or an explicit subject tells you which one. Here, the subject studentul is singular.

Is a pleca the same as “to travel” in English?

Not exactly. A pleca means “to depart” or “to leave” a place. For “to travel” you’d use a călători. However, you might hear pleca in contexts like a pleca în vacanță (“to depart on vacation”).