Litiera este în baie.

Because Romanian often puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not as a separate word in front.

• litieră = a litter box
• litiera = the litter box

So the -a on litiera is the feminine singular definite article.

The dictionary form is litieră.

In this sentence:

• litieră = litter box
• litiera = the litter box

This is very common in Romanian: you learn the noun in its base form, then add the article to the end when needed.

Romanian usually does not use a separate word like English the. Instead, it usually attaches the definite article to the noun.

For example:

• baie = bathroom / a bathroom
• baia = the bathroom

But after prepositions such as în (in), Romanian very often uses the noun without the definite article where English would still say the. So:

• în baie naturally means in the bathroom

This is one of the places where Romanian and English structure things differently.

Este means is. It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb a fi (to be).

So:

• Litiera este în baie. = The litter box is in the bathroom.

You will also often hear:

• Litiera e în baie.

Here, e is just a shorter, very common form of este.

Yes. That is completely natural.

• este = full form
• e = shorter everyday form

Both mean the same thing:

• Litiera este în baie.
• Litiera e în baie.

The version with e is especially common in speech.

After a preposition like în (in), Romanian often uses the bare noun for common places and rooms:

• în casă = in the house / at home
• în bucătărie = in the kitchen
• în baie = in the bathroom

So even though English usually says the bathroom, Romanian often just says baie in this structure.

You can get baia in other contexts, especially when it is further specified:

• în baia apartamentului = in the apartment’s bathroom
• baia este mică = the bathroom is small

Baie is a feminine noun.

Useful forms:

• o baie = a bathroom / a bath
• baie = base form
• baia = the bathroom

So both main nouns in the sentence are feminine:

• litieră
• baie

The normal word order is:

Subject + verb + place

• Litiera este în baie.

But Romanian word order is fairly flexible, so you might also hear:

• În baie este litiera.

That version puts more emphasis on în baie (in the bathroom), as if answering Where is the litter box?

So the original sentence is the most neutral/basic version.

În is pronounced with the Romanian sound î, which does not exist exactly in English.

A rough approximation is something like uhn, but that is only approximate. The vowel is made with the tongue high in the mouth, and it sounds more central than English ee or oo.

So:

• în ≈ uhn (roughly)

If you are just starting, using a close approximation is fine, but it is a sound worth practicing early because it appears very often in Romanian.

A rough English-style approximation would be:

lee-tee-EH-ra EH-steh uhn BYE-yeh

A few notes:

• litiera has the stress on -e-: li-ti-E-ra
• este sounds like EH-steh
• în has the special Romanian î sound
• baie is two syllables: BAI-e, roughly BYE-yeh

This is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

Yes, depending on context, în baie can sometimes be understood more generally as in a bathroom or more specifically as in the bathroom. In many everyday situations, context makes it clear.

In simple sentences like this, English often chooses the bathroom, while Romanian naturally says în baie and lets context do the work.