Când ajung acasă, pun ouăle și carnea în frigider, dar las ceapa pe masă.

Când means when. It introduces a time clause: Când ajung acasă = When I get home.

The comma is used because this time clause comes before the main clause:

• Când ajung acasă, = subordinate clause
• pun ouăle și carnea în frigider... = main clause

This is very similar to English, where you also usually write:

• When I get home, I put the eggs and the meat in the fridge.

If the main clause came first, the comma would often be omitted:

• Pun ouăle și carnea în frigider când ajung acasă.

That version is also grammatical, but the focus is slightly different.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject.

Here:

• ajung = I arrive / I get
• pun = I put
• las = I leave

So Romanian does not need eu unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Compare:

• Ajung acasă. = I get home.
• Eu ajung acasă. = I get home (with extra emphasis, maybe contrasting with someone else)

This is very common in Romanian.

Ajung is the 1st person singular present form of a ajunge.

In this sentence, ajung acasă means I get home or literally I arrive home.

A few useful comparisons:

• ajung la gară = I arrive at the station
• ajung acasă = I get home / I arrive home

Notice that with acasă, Romanian does not use a preposition here.

Acasă is a fixed adverb meaning at home / home. Romanian normally says:

• merg acasă = I go home
• ajung acasă = I get home
• stau acasă = I stay at home

So acasă works on its own, without la in this kind of sentence.

English does something similar with home:

• I go home, not usually I go to home

Romanian often uses the definite article where English might use the, or sometimes where English is a bit looser depending on context.

Here:

• ouăle = the eggs
• carnea = the meat
• ceapa = the onion

The sentence sounds like the speaker is talking about specific food items they have with them or habitually deal with.

Romanian puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not before it:

• ouă = eggs

• ouăle = the eggs

• carne = meat

• carnea = the meat

• ceapă = onion
• ceapa = the onion

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

Because the article changes depending on the noun’s gender, number, and ending.

In this sentence:

• ouăle is plural definite from ouă = eggs
• carnea is singular feminine definite from carne = meat
• ceapa is singular feminine definite from ceapă = onion

Very roughly:

• many plural nouns take -le
• many feminine singular nouns take -a

So:

• ouă → ouăle
• carne → carnea
• ceapă → ceapa

You should think of these as normal noun forms to learn, not as optional endings.

Because the verbs mean different things:

• pun = I put
• las = I leave

So:

• pun ouăle și carnea în frigider = I put the eggs and the meat in the fridge
• dar las ceapa pe masă = but I leave the onion on the table

The contrast is important:

• some things go into the fridge
• the onion stays on the table

So dar = but connects two contrasting actions.

Romanian uses different prepositions depending on the relationship:

• în = in / inside
• pe = on / on top of

So:

• în frigider = in the fridge
• pe masă = on the table

This works much like English:

• food goes in the fridge
• something rests on the table

Romanian can sometimes omit the definite article after certain prepositions, especially in common location phrases, where English may or may not use the depending on context.

So:

• în frigider can mean in the fridge
• pe masă can mean on the table

In everyday Romanian, these sound natural as location expressions.

You may also hear definite versions in other contexts:

• în frigiderul nou = in the new fridge
• pe masa din bucătărie = on the table in the kitchen

So the lack of a definite ending here does not automatically mean the meaning is fully indefinite in English.

Most naturally, it sounds habitual:

• When I get home, I put the eggs and the meat in the fridge, but I leave the onion on the table.

Romanian present tense is often used for routines and general habits, just like English present tense.

But depending on context, it could also describe a specific sequence in a vivid, conversational way. The most likely reading without extra context is a repeated habit.

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, although the original version is very natural.

Original:

• Când ajung acasă, pun ouăle și carnea în frigider, dar las ceapa pe masă.

Possible variation:

• Pun ouăle și carnea în frigider când ajung acasă, dar las ceapa pe masă.

Both are grammatical. The original puts the time phrase first, which makes the timeline clear right away. Romanian often does this.

Still, you cannot move words completely freely without affecting emphasis or naturalness.

Și means and.

Here it connects two direct objects:

• ouăle și carnea = the eggs and the meat

So the speaker puts both items in the fridge.

Romanian uses și very much like English and.

Also note the spelling: ș is a separate Romanian letter, pronounced like sh in ship.

The main special letters here are:

• â in Când
• ă in acasă, ceapa, masă
• ș in și

A simple learner-friendly guide:

• â = a central vowel, somewhat like a very reduced vowel; English has no exact equivalent
• ă = similar to the a in about for many English speakers
• ș = sh

So roughly:

• Când ≈ kɨnd
• și ≈ shy but shorter
• acasă ≈ a-ka-suh
• masă ≈ ma-suh

The exact Romanian vowels are worth practicing carefully, especially â and ă, because they are important for sounding natural.

Because the sentence is talking about:

• multiple eggs = ouăle
• one onion = ceapa

So Romanian matches the actual number of items being talked about, just as English does.

If there were several onions, you would use the plural:

• cepele = the onions

But in the given sentence, the speaker is referring to one onion, so singular ceapa is correct.