Vara mergem la mare cu trenul.

In Romanian, season names are often used in the definite form as time expressions:

• vara = in summer / during the summer
• iarna = in winter
• primăvara = in spring
• toamna = in autumn

So Vara mergem... means In summer, we go... or During the summer, we go...

It is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence. In the middle of a sentence, it would normally be vara.

Mergem is the 1st person plural present tense of the verb a merge = to go.

So:

• merg = I go
• mergi = you go
• merge = he/she goes
• mergem = we go
• mergeți = you all go
• merg = they go

Here, mergem means we go.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. This is called a pro-drop language.

So:

• mergem already means we go
• noi mergem also means we go, but noi adds emphasis or contrast

For example:

• Vara mergem la mare. = normal, neutral
• Vara noi mergem la mare, nu la munte. = We go to the seaside in summer, not to the mountains

Grammatically, it is present tense. But in Romanian, the present tense can often express:

• a habitual action
• a general fact
• a planned or expected future action

In this sentence, because of Vara, the most natural reading is habitual:

• In summer, we go to the seaside by train
• or We go to the seaside by train in the summer

So it sounds like something that happens regularly.

La mare is a very common Romanian expression meaning to the seaside or to the sea.

It does not just mean physically approaching the water. Very often, a merge la mare means to go to the seaside for a trip or holiday.

This is similar to how English speakers might say go to the coast or go to the beach, even if they mean the whole seaside area, not only the water itself.

Because la mare is an idiomatic expression in Romanian.

Romanian commonly says:

• a merge la mare = to go to the seaside
• a merge la munte = to go to the mountains

These expressions usually do not use the article.

If you mean a specific sea by name, you would normally say that name, for example:

• la Marea Neagră = to the Black Sea

So la mare is the normal general phrase.

It has the same form, but here it is a different word.

In Romanian:

• mare can be an adjective meaning big
• mare can also be a noun meaning sea

In la mare, it is the noun sea.

Context makes the meaning clear. After la and in the expression a merge la mare, Romanian speakers understand it as to the seaside, not to big.

Because Romanian very often uses cu + the definite form for means of transport and similar expressions.

So you get:

• cu trenul = by train
• cu autobuzul = by bus
• cu avionul = by plane
• cu mașina = by car

Even though trenul literally looks like the train, the whole phrase cu trenul is simply the normal way to say by train.

It usually does not mean a specific train unless the context makes that clear.

La is commonly used to show destination with many places and set expressions.

Here:

• la mare = to the seaside

So the structure is:

• mergem la mare = we go to the seaside

This is the natural Romanian phrasing. A different preposition would change the meaning. For example, spre mare would mean more like toward the sea, not necessarily all the way there.

Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible.

This sentence starts with Vara to set the time frame first:

• Vara mergem la mare cu trenul.

You could also hear variations such as:

• Mergem la mare vara cu trenul.
• La mare mergem vara cu trenul.

But the original order sounds very natural and straightforward. Starting with Vara emphasizes when this usually happens.