Learn Hardcore Romanian: Andrei cântă la pianul meu acum.

Romanian does not have a separate progressive (“is doing”) tense. The simple present tense covers both “he plays” and “he is playing.” So cântă can mean either “plays” or “is playing,” depending on context.

Why is there la before pianul?

In Romanian, the verb a cânta (to sing; to play an instrument) requires the preposition la before musical instruments. Hence cântă la pian literally means “plays at piano,” i.e. “plays the piano.”

Why is pian given as pianul here?

Unlike English, Romanian expresses the definite article as a suffix on the noun.

pian = “piano”
pianul = “the piano”
We need the piano because we’re talking about a specific object: my piano.

Why is meu placed after the noun instead of before it?

Possessive pronouns in Romanian usually follow the noun they modify.

pianul meu = “the piano mine” → English “my piano.”
Putting meu first (as in meu pian) is ungrammatical in standard Romanian.