Raftul de sus este gol.

Raft means shelf.

The ending -ul is the definite article in Romanian, attached to the end of the noun. So:

• raft = a shelf
• raftul = the shelf

Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of before it.

De sus is a very common Romanian expression meaning from above / upper / on top depending on context.

In raftul de sus, it works like the top shelf or more literally the shelf from above / the shelf on top.

You can think of it as a fixed way Romanian often identifies something by its position:

• raftul de sus = the upper shelf / the shelf above
• raftul de jos = the lower shelf
• camera de lângă bucătărie = the room next to the kitchen

So de sus is the natural phrase here.

Yes, literally it is something like the shelf from above, but in natural English we usually say:

• the top shelf
• the upper shelf
• sometimes the shelf above

Romanian often uses structures that sound a bit more literal than the most natural English equivalent.

Este is the 3rd person singular form of the verb a fi = to be.

So:

• eu sunt = I am
• tu ești = you are
• el/ea este = he/she/it is

Since raftul is singular, Romanian uses este = is.

Yes. In everyday Romanian, e is very common and natural.

So both are correct:

• Raftul de sus este gol.
• Raftul de sus e gol.

Este is a bit more full and sometimes slightly more formal or careful, while e is very common in speech.

Gol means empty.

It can describe many things:

• un pahar gol = an empty glass
• o cameră goală = an empty room
• raftul este gol = the shelf is empty

It can also mean bare or vacant in some contexts.

Romanian adjectives change form to match the noun in gender and number.

Raftul is a masculine singular noun, so the adjective is gol.

Compare:

• raft gol = empty shelf (masculine singular)
• masă goală = empty table (feminine singular)
• rafturi goale = empty shelves
• mese goale = empty tables

So gol agrees with raftul.

One clue is the definite singular form:

• raft → raftul

Many masculine and neuter nouns in Romanian take -ul in the definite singular.

A more useful test is to look at the plural and adjective agreement:

• un raft gol
• două rafturi goale

Romanian neuter nouns behave like masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural. Raft is actually a neuter noun, which is why in the singular it takes gol, but in the plural it would take goale:

• raftul este gol
• rafturile sunt goale

So in this sentence it behaves like a masculine singular noun.

That is the most neutral, straightforward word order:

subject + verb + adjective/complement

• Raftul de sus = subject
• este = verb
• gol = complement

Romanian word order is flexible, but this version is the normal, unmarked one.

You could change the order for emphasis in some contexts, but this is the standard way to say it.

Not normally in this sentence.

In Romanian, adjectives often come after the noun:

• raft gol
• camera mare
• carte bună

In predicative sentences with to be, the adjective comes after the verb:

• Raftul este gol
• Camera este mare

Putting gol before the noun here would sound unnatural.

Not exactly in the usual single-word sense. It is a prepositional phrase:

• de = preposition
• sus = above/up/top

Together, de sus functions like an adjective here because it describes which shelf we mean.

So grammatically it is a phrase, but functionally it helps identify the noun, much like upper does in English.

Yes, depending on context, that is possible.

Raftul de sus can mean:

• the top shelf
• the upper shelf
• the shelf above

If there are multiple shelves and you are contrasting one with another, English might choose the shelf above. If you are simply naming its position, the top shelf is often the most natural translation.

The plural would be:

Rafturile de sus sunt goale.

Breakdown:

• rafturile = the shelves
• de sus = upper / above
• sunt = are
• goale = empty (plural form)

So singular vs plural:

• Raftul de sus este gol. = The top shelf is empty.
• Rafturile de sus sunt goale. = The upper shelves are empty.

A few useful points:

• raftul is pronounced roughly RAF-tool
• sus has a clear u sound, not like English uh
• este is roughly ES-te
• gol has an o like in more, but shorter and cleaner

Also, Romanian usually pronounces words quite consistently compared with English, so once you learn the sounds, reading gets easier.

A very useful pattern is:

[definite noun + description] + este/e + adjective

For example:

• Raftul de sus este gol. = The top shelf is empty.
• Camera din stânga este mică. = The room on the left is small.
• Scaunul de lângă masă este liber. = The chair next to the table is free.

This pattern is extremely common in Romanian.