Profesoara explică problema pas cu pas.

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun, not written as a separate word like English the.

• profesoară = a female teacher
• profesoara = the female teacher

So -a at the end is the feminine singular definite article.

For the same reason: problema is the definite form.

• problemă = a problem
• problema = the problem

Romanian often puts the at the end of the noun:

• carte → cartea = book → the book
• fată → fata = girl → the girl

So in this sentence, both profesoara and problema are definite: the teacher and the problem.

Explică is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a explica = to explain.

So it can mean:

• he explains
• she explains
• it explains

In this sentence, because the subject is profesoara, it means she explains.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So instead of saying:

• Ea explică problema. = She explains the problem.

Romanian very often just says:

• Profesoara explică problema.

or even simply:

• Explică problema. if the subject is clear from context.

This is normal because the verb form already helps identify the subject.

Because Romanian usually uses a postposed definite article—that means the article comes at the end of the noun.

English:

• the teacher
• the problem

Romanian:

• profesoara
• problema

So Romanian does not normally need a separate word like English the.

Pas cu pas literally means step with step, but the natural English meaning is step by step.

It is a fixed expression used to show that something is done gradually, in stages, or carefully.

Examples:

• Explică lecția pas cu pas. = He/She explains the lesson step by step.
• Învățăm pas cu pas. = We learn step by step.

Because pas cu pas is an idiomatic fixed phrase. Romanian often uses repeated singular nouns in expressions like this.

So even though English says steps in some contexts, Romanian keeps pas in the singular in this expression.

Think of it as a set phrase meaning one step after another.

The basic order here is:

Profesoara + explică + problema + pas cu pas
Subject + Verb + Object + Adverbial expression

This is a very natural, neutral order.

Romanian word order is more flexible than English, so other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Problema o explică profesoara pas cu pas.
• Pas cu pas, profesoara explică problema.

But the original sentence is the most straightforward and easiest for learners.

The letter ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It is a short, neutral sound, similar to the a in English sofa for many speakers.

So explică is pronounced roughly like:

• eks-PLEE-kuh

And ă in general sounds like a relaxed uh.

It depends on context, but in many everyday learning examples, profesoară usually means female teacher.

Romanian profesor / profesoară can sometimes correspond to English professor, but very often it simply means teacher, especially in school contexts.

So learners should not assume it always means a university professor.

Yes. That would be grammatically correct, but the meaning changes.

• Profesoara explică problema pas cu pas. = The teacher explains the problem step by step.
• O profesoară explică o problemă pas cu pas. = A teacher explains a problem step by step.

So the original sentence refers to a specific teacher and a specific problem, while the version with o is indefinite.

In this sentence, Romanian relies mostly on word order and context to show that problema is the direct object.

• Profesoara is the subject
• explică is the verb
• problema is what is being explained, so it is the direct object

For many nouns in Romanian, especially in the singular, the direct object does not need a special visible ending. The sentence structure makes the role clear.

Because pe is usually used before specific people or certain animate direct objects, not before ordinary inanimate nouns like problema.

Compare:

• Văd profesorul. = I see the teacher.
• Îl văd pe profesor. = I see the teacher.
  Here pe is used because it refers to a person.

But:

• Explic problema. = I explain the problem.

Since problema is an inanimate thing, pe is not used here.