Learn Romanian: Studenta are niște chei. - The student has some keys.

The singular word for 'key' is cheie, which is a feminine noun ending in -e. To make it plural, that -e changes to an -i, giving us chei. This is a standard plural pattern for feminine nouns.

Why isn't the definite plural suffix -le used on chei in this sentence?

The suffix -le translates to 'the' for plural feminine nouns. We would use it to say cheile ('the keys'). However, this sentence says 'some keys', so we use niște alongside the basic plural form chei without adding the -le suffix at the end.

Is niște absolutely necessary, or could we just say are chei?

While English lets you drop the word 'some' and just say 'has keys', Romanian strongly prefers using niște before plural nouns when talking about an unspecified amount. It functions like a plural version of 'a' or 'an'.

Why does studenta end in -a instead of -ă here?

The base dictionary form is studentă ('a female student'). To say 'the student', Romanian attaches the definite article to the end of the word. For feminine nouns ending in -ă, the -ă is replaced by -a, making it studenta.