Câinele poartă zgarda și lesa când îl plimb.

Because câinele is the definite form, meaning the dog.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, unlike English.

• câine = dog
• câinele = the dog

So Câinele poartă... starts with The dog wears...

For the same reason: they are also in the definite form.

• zgardă = collar
• zgarda = the collar
• lesă = leash
• lesa = the leash

The definite ending changes depending on the noun’s gender and form.

So in this sentence:

• câinele = the dog
• zgarda = the collar
• lesa = the leash

Romanian is treating them as specific, identifiable objects: the dog is wearing its usual collar and leash, not just any random ones.

If you wanted an indefinite meaning, you would say:

• o zgardă și o lesă = a collar and a leash

So the sentence with zgarda și lesa sounds like we already know which collar and leash are meant.

Here, poartă means wears.

It is the 3rd person singular present form of a purta.

A purta can mean:

• to wear
• to carry
• to bear

In this sentence, wears is the natural meaning, because a dog can wear a collar and a leash.

So Câinele poartă zgarda și lesa means the dog has them on.

Îl is the unstressed direct object pronoun meaning him or it.

It refers back to câinele.

So:

• îl plimb = I walk him / I take him for a walk

Because câinele is masculine singular, the correct pronoun is îl.

A few comparisons:

• masculine singular: îl
• feminine singular: o
• plural: îi / le in other structures, depending on case and function

In this sentence, îl is basically standing for the dog in the second clause.

Because Romanian unstressed object pronouns usually come before the conjugated verb.

So Romanian says:

• îl plimb
• îl văd
• o cunosc

not the equivalent of plimb îl.

This is a very common Romanian pattern, and English speakers often need time to get used to it.

Because Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

Here, plimb already tells you the subject is I.

• plimb = I walk / I take for a walk

So eu is not necessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Eu îl plimb, nu tu. = I’m the one walking him, not you.

Without emphasis, just îl plimb is perfectly normal.

More exactly, a plimba often means to take someone or something for a walk.

So:

• îl plimb = I’m walking him / I’m taking him for a walk

This is different from a se plimba, which means to walk around / to take a walk oneself.

Compare:

• Îl plimb pe câine. = I’m walking the dog.
• Mă plimb. = I’m taking a walk.

That distinction is very useful in Romanian.

Yes. Romanian uses the present tense here, and it can cover both a general/habitual meaning and a current situation, depending on context.

So this sentence can mean:

• something generally true: whenever I walk him, he wears the collar and leash
• something happening now: the dog is wearing them as I walk him

Romanian does not have a separate compulsory continuous form like English is wearing or am walking. The simple present often does that job.

Când means when here.

In context, it can also feel like whenever, especially if the sentence describes a repeated habit.

So:

• când îl plimb = when I walk him / whenever I walk him

The exact nuance depends on the situation, not on a different verb form.

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, especially for emphasis or style.

For example, you could also say:

• Când îl plimb, câinele poartă zgarda și lesa.

That still sounds natural.

But one thing usually stays the same: the short object pronoun îl normally stays before the verb:

• îl plimb is normal
• plimb îl is not normal

So Romanian allows flexibility, but not complete freedom.