Chiriașul anunță că asociația de proprietari înlocuiește contorul.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, instead of using a separate word like the.

So:

• chiriaș = tenant

• chiriașul = the tenant

• asociație = association

• asociația = the association

• contor = meter
• contorul = the meter

This is one of the biggest differences from English. In Romanian, the is often attached directly to the noun.

Both structures can exist in Romanian, but asociație de proprietari is the standard fixed expression for homeowners’ association or owners’ association.

Here:

• asociație = association
• de proprietari = of owners / owners’

Literally, it looks like association of owners, but in natural usage it functions as the normal name of that institution.

So asociația de proprietari means the homeowners’ association.

The noun that controls the verb is asociația, which is singular, so the verb is singular too: înlocuiește.

Că means that.

So:

• Chiriașul anunță = The tenant announces
• că... = that...
• asociația de proprietari înlocuiește contorul = the homeowners’ association is replacing/replaces the meter

Romanian often uses că where English may use that, even in places where English could also omit it.

The verb a anunța can mean:

• to announce
• to inform
• to notify

Which English translation sounds best depends on context.

In everyday practical contexts, especially housing, buildings, utilities, or administration, a anunța often feels closer to:

• informs
• lets someone know
• notifies

So Chiriașul anunță că... could naturally mean:

• The tenant announces that...
• The tenant informs [someone] that...
• The tenant notifies [someone] that...

All are possible depending on the situation.

Because the subject of the verb is asociația, not proprietari.

Break it down:

• asociația = the association → singular
• de proprietari = of owners → just a modifying phrase

So the main noun is singular, and the verb agrees with that singular noun:

• asociația ... înlocuiește = the association replaces

Even though proprietari is plural, it is not the grammatical subject.

Înlocuiește is the 3rd person singular present tense of a înlocui = to replace.

Conjugation in the present:

• eu înlocuiesc = I replace
• tu înlocuiești = you replace
• el/ea înlocuiește = he/she/it replaces
• noi înlocuim = we replace
• voi înlocuiți = you all replace
• ei/ele înlocuiesc = they replace

So in the sentence:

• asociația ... înlocuiește contorul = the association replaces / is replacing the meter

Grammatically, both verbs are in the present tense:

• anunță = announces / is informing
• înlocuiește = replaces / is replacing

Depending on context, Romanian present tense can sometimes refer to a planned future action, especially in practical or scheduled situations.

So asociația de proprietari înlocuiește contorul could mean:

• the association is replacing the meter
  or
• the association will replace the meter

But without more context, the most direct reading is simply present: is replacing / replaces.

Using contorul means the meter, a specific meter already known in the context.

That is very natural in real-life situations. For example, in a building or apartment context, people usually know which meter is being discussed: electricity, gas, or water meter.

Compare:

• înlocuiește contorul = replaces the meter
• înlocuiește un contor = replaces a meter

So the sentence points to a specific, identifiable meter.

Usually, contor means a utility meter or measuring meter, such as:

• contor de apă = water meter
• contor de gaz = gas meter
• contor de electricitate / curent = electricity meter

It can also mean counter in some technical contexts.

In this sentence, because of the housing/building context, contorul is naturally understood as the meter.

Yes, Romanian often allows the subject to be omitted because the verb ending already gives information about the person and number.

For example:

• Anunță că asociația de proprietari înlocuiește contorul.

This could still be grammatical, but it would mean something like He/She announces that... or [Someone] announces that..., depending on context.

In your sentence, chiriașul is stated explicitly to make it clear that the tenant is the one making the announcement.

Mostly yes. The basic structure is very similar to English:

• Chiriașul = subject
• anunță = verb
• că... = that...
• asociația de proprietari = subject of the subordinate clause
• înlocuiește = verb
• contorul = object

So the structure is:

The tenant announces that the homeowners’ association replaces/is replacing the meter.

Romanian word order is often flexible, but this sentence uses a very neutral, standard order.

The main special letters here are:

• ă in că and asociația
  This is a short central vowel, somewhat like the a in sofa.

• ș in chiriașul, înlocuiește
  This sounds like English sh.

Also note:

• ț is not in this sentence, but when you see it in Romanian, it sounds like ts.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Chiriașul ≈ kee-ree-A-shul
• anunță would normally contain ț, but here the word is anunță only if written that way; in your sentence it is anunță, so ț sounds like ts
• că ≈ kuh / kə
• asociația ≈ a-so-chee-A-tsi-a
• înlocuiește ≈ in-lo-kwee-Esh-te
• contorul ≈ kon-TO-rul

These are only rough approximations, but they help with the main sounds.

Because Romanian uses the suffixed article on the first noun:

• asociație de proprietari = homeowners’ association
• asociația de proprietari = the homeowners’ association

Only asociație gets the definite article, because it is the main noun. The phrase de proprietari stays the same.

So Romanian does not need a separate word before the whole noun phrase.

It is the direct object, so functionally it is in the accusative.

However, in Romanian, for many nouns, especially inanimate masculine/neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are identical.

So:

• contorul can be subject form or object form, depending on the sentence

In this sentence:

• asociația de proprietari = subject
• contorul = direct object

You understand the role mainly from word order and meaning, not from a visibly different form.