Learn Hardcore Romanian: Acum nu mai ascult radio, pentru că găsesc ușor muzică pe internet. - Now I no longer listen to the radio, because I easily find music on the internet.

nu ascult radio = I do not listen to the radio (a simple negation; could be just now or in general, context decides)
nu mai ascult radio = I no longer listen to the radio / I don’t listen to the radio anymore (it used to be true before, but not now)

So mai adds the idea of a change over time:

mai ascult radio (affirmative) = I still listen to the radio / I also listen to the radio
nu mai ascult radio (negative) = I no longer listen to the radio

In negatives, nu + mai + verb is the normal way to say “not anymore / no longer.”

Why is there no article before radio? Why not ascult radioul?

In Romanian, with some media and mass nouns, you often use the bare singular (no article) when you mean the activity in general:

ascult radio = I listen to the radio (the medium, in general)
mă uit la televizor = I watch TV
ascult muzică = I listen to music

If you add the definite article, radioul, you’re talking about a specific radio (device or station):

ascult radioul din bucătărie = I’m listening to the radio in the kitchen (a specific set)
ascult radioul, nu televizorul = I’m listening to the radio, not the TV

So:

ascult radio – generic activity
ascult radioul – a specific radio

Why is it ascult radio and not something like ascult la radio, like “listen to the radio” in English?

In Romanian, the verb a asculta takes a direct object for what you listen to, without a preposition:

ascult muzică = I listen to music
ascult radio = I listen to (the) radio
ascult profesorul = I listen to the teacher

Using la would be wrong in this structure:

✗ ascult la radio (incorrect as a translation of “I listen to the radio”)

You can see la radio in other constructions, but there la radio is a prepositional phrase, not the direct object:

emisiunea este la radio = the show is on the radio
lucrează la radio = he/she works at a radio station

What does mai usually mean, and why does it change in negative sentences like this?

mai has several related meanings, depending on context:

“still / yet”
- mai ascult radio = I still listen to the radio
“more / another”
- mai vreau apă = I want more water
- mai stau cinci minute = I’ll stay another five minutes
In negative sentences, with nu, it becomes “anymore / no longer”:
- nu mai ascult radio = I don’t listen to the radio anymore
- nu mai fumez = I no longer smoke

So in your sentence, nu mai is the standard way to say “no longer / not anymore.”

Why is acum at the beginning? Could we say nu mai ascult radio acum instead?

Yes, you can change the position of acum, and Romanian word order is fairly flexible:

Acum nu mai ascult radio – Now I no longer listen to the radio.
Nu mai ascult radio acum – I don’t listen to the radio now (anymore).

Both are grammatical. The difference is nuance/emphasis:

Acum at the beginning tends to highlight the time frame (“these days / nowadays”).
acum at the end sounds a bit more like “right now” in this part of the conversation, though context can still make it mean “nowadays.”

In your sentence, Acum at the start supports the idea: “These days, I don’t listen to radio anymore…”

Why is there a comma before pentru că?

In Romanian, pentru că introduces a reason clause (“because…”), and it is normally set off by a comma:

Nu ies afară, pentru că plouă.
Mă culc devreme, pentru că sunt obosit.

The rule of thumb: when pentru că introduces a cause/reason, you use a comma before it.

Very informally in speech, people may drop the pause, but in standard writing the comma is expected:

Acum nu mai ascult radio, pentru că găsesc ușor muzică pe internet.

What tense is ascult here? Is it more like “I listen” or “I am listening”?

ascult is the present tense, simple form, and Romanian does not have a separate present continuous form like English.

So ascult can mean:

“I listen” (habitually, regularly)
“I am listening (now)”

Context decides. In this sentence, with nu mai (no longer) and acum (now/these days), it clearly expresses a habitual change:

“Now I no longer listen to the radio” (i.e., as a habit; I stopped doing that).

Why is ușor placed after găsesc? Could it be găsesc muzică ușor instead?

ușor here is an adverb meaning “easily”, and Romanian allows some flexibility in where you place adverbs.

Both are possible:

găsesc ușor muzică pe internet
găsesc muzică ușor pe internet

They mean essentially the same: “I easily find music on the internet.”

Nuances:

găsesc ușor muzică: slightly stronger focus on how you find it (easily).
găsesc muzică ușor: keeps muzică closer to găsesc, and then comments on how (ușor) afterward.

But in everyday speech, they’re practically interchangeable.

Note: as an adjective, it would change form:

muzică ușoară = light music / easy-listening music (adjective, agreeing with muzică) Here we’re not describing the music; we’re describing how it is found, so we use ușor (adverb), not ușoară.

Why is it muzică without an article? Could we say găsesc ușor o muzică or găsesc ușor muzica?

muzică is an uncountable mass noun here, just like music in English:

găsesc ușor muzică pe internet = I easily find music on the internet.

Using an article changes the meaning:

o muzică = “a music / a piece of music / a kind of music” (sounds odd unless you specify which kind, e.g. o muzică liniștitoare = a soothing kind of music)
muzica (definite) = “the music” (specific music both speaker and listener know about)

So:

The generic statement about music in general uses no article: muzică.
o muzică and muzica are possible grammatically, but they would sound strange in this sentence without extra context.

What does pe do in pe internet? Why not la internet or something else?

In modern Romanian, pe internet is the fixed and natural way to say “on the internet”:

caut informații pe internet = I look for information on the internet
am găsit filmul pe internet = I found the movie on the internet

The preposition pe here corresponds to English on in many expressions:

pe stradă = on the street
pe masă = on the table
pe Facebook = on Facebook

You would not say la internet for this meaning. la can mean “at / to,” but for the online context, pe internet is the standard phrase.

Is internet capitalized in Romanian? And is it pronounced like in English?

In current Romanian usage, internet is usually written with a lowercase i: internet.

Both Internet and internet exist, but the lowercase form is more common now, especially in everyday writing.

Pronunciation is close to English but fully adapted to Romanian phonetics:

[in-ter-net], with a clear r and all vowels pronounced:
- i like in machine
- e like in met
- trilled or tapped r

So: pe internet is “on the internet,” all in lowercase in most contexts.

Could we replace pentru că with another word like deoarece or fiindcă?

Yes. Romanian has several common conjunctions meaning “because”, and many are interchangeable in this type of sentence:

pentru că
deoarece
fiindcă

You could say:

Acum nu mai ascult radio, deoarece găsesc ușor muzică pe internet.
Acum nu mai ascult radio, fiindcă găsesc ușor muzică pe internet.

All are correct and natural.
Differences:

pentru că is the most neutral and frequent in everyday speech.
deoarece can sound a bit more formal or written.
fiindcă is also common and neutral, maybe slightly more conversational in some regions.

In practice, you can safely use pentru că almost everywhere.