Learn Hardcore Romanian: Tatăl meu citește ziarul în camera de zi. - My father is reading the newspaper in the living room.

In this sentence we are talking about a specific, known father (my father), so the definite form is used: Tatăl meu = my father / the father of mine.

At the start of the sentence it is capitalized (Tatăl) simply because it is the first word; otherwise it would be tatăl.

Why is it Tatăl meu instead of meu tată?

In Romanian, possessive adjectives like meu (my) normally come after the noun, not before it.

tatăl meu = my father
cartea mea = my book
fratele tău = your brother

So meu tată is incorrect in standard Romanian. The usual word order is:

[noun + definite article] + [possessive]

→ tatăl meu, fratele lui, mașina lor etc.

Why do we keep the definite article when we have a possessive? Why not just tată meu?

With most nouns (including family members), Romanian uses both:

the definite article on the noun, and
the possessive adjective after it.

So we say:

tatăl meu (my father)
mama mea (my mother)
prietenul meu (my friend, masc.)
mașina mea (my car)

You don’t normally drop the article in these cases.
tată meu sounds wrong in standard Romanian.

What does citește mean exactly, and what is its infinitive?

citește means (he/she) reads or (he/she) is reading.

The infinitive is a citi = to read.

Present tense of a citi:

eu citesc = I read / I am reading
tu citești = you read
el/ea citește = he/she reads
noi citim = we read
voi citiți = you (pl.) read
ei/ele citesc = they read

So in the sentence, citește is 3rd person singular (he).

Why is ziarul used instead of ziar?

Same reason as tatăl: ziarul has the definite article attached.

ziar = a newspaper / newspaper (indefinite)
ziarul = the newspaper (definite)

So:

Tatăl meu citește ziar. = My father reads (some) newspaper / newspapers in general.
Tatăl meu citește ziarul. = My father is reading the newspaper (a specific one).

In this sentence, the idea is that he is reading a particular, known newspaper, so ziarul is used.

Shouldn’t there be pe before ziarul (like citește pe ziarul)? I learned that direct objects often take pe.

The preposition pe is mainly used with definite, usually animate direct objects (especially people):

Văd pe Ana. = I see Ana.
Sun pe prietenul meu. = I call my friend.

For inanimate objects like ziarul (the newspaper), you normally do not use pe:

Citesc ziarul. = I read the newspaper.
Deschid ușa. = I open the door.

So Tatăl meu citește ziarul is correct; citește pe ziarul would be wrong here.

What is the gender of ziar and why is its plural ziare?

ziar is a neuter noun in Romanian.

Neuter nouns behave:

like masculine in the singular
like feminine in the plural

So:

singular: un ziar, ziarul
plural: niște ziare, ziarele

That’s why the plural is ziare, not something like ziari.

What does în camera de zi literally mean, and how does it equal in the living room?

camera de zi is a fixed phrase meaning living room.

Literally:

cameră = room
camera = the room
de zi = of day / for daytime

So camera de zi is something like daytime room – the room where people spend the day, hence living room.

The whole phrase în camera de zi = in the living room.

Why is it camera de zi and not cameră de zi?

cameră is the indefinite form; camera is the definite form.

o cameră de zi = a living room
camera de zi = the living room

The preposition în can be used with either definite or indefinite, depending on meaning:

în camera de zi = in the (specific) living room (e.g. in our living room)
într-o cameră de zi = in a living room (not specific)

In this sentence, a specific familiar living room is implied (probably the family’s living room), so camera de zi (definite) is used.

Is the word order fixed? Could we say Tatăl meu ziarul citește în camera de zi?

Romanian has a basic word order similar to English:

Subject – Verb – Object – Place

→ Tatăl meu citește ziarul în camera de zi.

You can move parts around for emphasis, but not every permutation sounds natural.
For example:

În camera de zi, tatăl meu citește ziarul.
(emphasis on place – in the living room, my father is reading the newspaper)
Ziarul îl citește tatăl meu.
(emphasis on who reads the newspaper – it is my father who reads it)

But Tatăl meu ziarul citește în camera de zi sounds very unnatural in standard Romanian.

Do we need a subject pronoun like El (he) in this sentence?

No. Romanian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns are usually omitted when the verb ending makes the subject clear.

Citește ziarul. = He/She reads the newspaper.
Tatăl meu citește ziarul. = My father reads the newspaper.

You only add the pronoun for emphasis or contrast:

El citește ziarul, nu ea. = He is reading the newspaper, not her.

Why can citește translate as both reads and is reading?

Romanian has one present tense where English has two main ones:

present simple: he reads
present continuous: he is reading

citește can cover both meanings, depending on context:

În fiecare dimineață, tatăl meu citește ziarul.
= Every morning my father reads the newspaper.
Acum, tatăl meu citește ziarul în camera de zi.
= Right now, my father is reading the newspaper in the living room.

No extra auxiliary verb is needed in Romanian.

How do you pronounce the special letters in Tatăl meu citește ziarul în camera de zi?

Key letters:

ă (as in Tatăl) – a mid, relaxed vowel, similar to the a in English sofa.
ș (as in citește) – like English sh in she.
î (as in în) – a central vowel; somewhat like a tense, central i, with no direct English equivalent.
e in citește – pronounced like e in bed.
ziar – z like English z, i
- a form a glide; roughly zyaar.

Very rough pronunciation guide (slashes just to mark chunks, not IPA):

Tatăl ≈ TA-təl
meu ≈ meh-oo (fast: meu)
citește ≈ chi-TESH-te
ziarul ≈ zya-ROOL
în ≈ roughly un with the special î sound
camera de zi ≈ KAH-me-ra de zee

Romanian stress here is typically on TA in Tatăl, TEȘ in citește, ZIAR in ziarul, CA in camera.