Facem curățenie în bucătărie înainte de cină.

Facem is the present-tense we form of a face = to do / to make.

So facem means we do, we make, or in context we are doing.

Romanian usually does not need the subject pronoun if the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. So:

• Facem curățenie = We clean / We are cleaning / We do the cleaning
• Noi facem curățenie = We clean with extra emphasis on we

So the we is built into facem.

That is because a face curățenie is a very common Romanian expression.

Literally, it is something like to do cleaning or to make cleanliness, but the natural English meaning is:

• to clean
• to do the cleaning
• to tidy up

So Facem curățenie is an idiomatic way to say We’re cleaning or We’re doing some cleaning.

Curățenie is a noun, not a verb. It means cleanliness, cleaning, or housework/cleaning work, depending on context.

In this sentence, it works as part of the fixed expression:

• a face curățenie = to clean / to do the cleaning

Related words:

• curat = clean (adjective, masculine)
• curată = clean (adjective, feminine)
• a curăța = to clean in the sense of cleaning something directly

So curățenie is not clean as an adjective; it is the noun cleaning/cleanliness.

Yes, you could say Curățăm bucătăria.

The difference is mainly in how the action is expressed:

• Facem curățenie în bucătărie = We’re cleaning / doing the cleaning in the kitchen
• Curățăm bucătăria = We’re cleaning the kitchen

The first one sounds a bit broader and more natural for general housework or tidying up.
The second one focuses more directly on the kitchen as the object being cleaned.

So both are correct, but a face curățenie is very common in everyday Romanian.

In Romanian, after prepositions like în, a place noun can often appear without the definite article, especially when the location is understood from context.

So:

• în bucătărie can mean in the kitchen
• it can also sometimes mean in a kitchen, depending on context

Romanian does not always match English article usage exactly.

You would use în bucătăria... when the kitchen is made more specific:

• în bucătăria casei = in the kitchen of the house
• în bucătăria nouă = in the new kitchen

So in your sentence, în bucătărie is perfectly natural.

În means in / inside.

Since the action happens inside the kitchen, Romanian uses:

• în bucătărie = in the kitchen

That is the normal choice for being inside a room or enclosed space.

Înainte de means before.

It is a fixed expression used before a noun or noun phrase:

• înainte de cină = before dinner
• înainte de școală = before school
• înainte de film = before the movie

So in this sentence:

• înainte de cină = before dinner

This is a very common Romanian structure.

Here, cină is used in a general sense: before dinner.

Romanian often leaves out the definite article in time expressions or general routine expressions like this.

So:

• înainte de cină = before dinner

If you said înainte de cină in everyday speech, that is the normal, natural form.

For a learner, the safest thing is to remember înainte de + noun as a standard pattern.

Yes. Facem is present tense.

Like the Romanian present tense in general, it can express different things depending on context:

• We clean = habitual action
• We are cleaning = action happening now
• sometimes even a near-future idea, depending on context

So Facem curățenie în bucătărie înainte de cină could mean:

• We clean the kitchen before dinner if it is a routine
• We’re cleaning in the kitchen before dinner if it is happening now

English usually makes this distinction more explicitly than Romanian does.

The given word order is very natural:

• Facem curățenie în bucătărie înainte de cină.

It follows a common pattern:

• verb
  • action/expression
    • place
      • time

But Romanian word order is fairly flexible, especially for emphasis. For example:

• În bucătărie facem curățenie înainte de cină.
• Înainte de cină facem curățenie în bucătărie.

These are still understandable, but the original version is the most neutral and natural for a learner.

The special letters here are:

• ă in curățenie
• ț in curățenie

A quick guide:

• ă is a short, central vowel, similar to the a in English sofa
• ț is pronounced ts, like the end of cats

So curățenie sounds roughly like:

• koo-rə-tse-NEE-eh

Also:

• în has the Romanian î/â sound, a central vowel that does not match English exactly
• bucătărie has another ă
• cină also has ă

You do not need a perfect accent right away, but it helps to notice that Romanian spelling is quite regular: the special letters really matter.

Yes, you can, but it changes the feel slightly.

• Facem curățenie în bucătărie înainte de cină. = neutral, natural
• Noi facem curățenie în bucătărie înainte de cină. = we do the cleaning, with extra emphasis or contrast

Because the verb facem already tells you it is we, adding noi is usually only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

So for normal everyday speech, leaving out noi is usually best.