A ronda terminou num empate.

Here, ronda means round, usually in a competition, tournament, game, or series of matches.

Depending on context, ronda can also mean things like:

• a patrol
• a round of drinks
• a round in boxing, cards, or a tournament

In A ronda terminou num empate, it most naturally means a round of play or a stage in a competition.

In European Portuguese, this is a normal word, though in some contexts you may also hear other words such as jornada.

A is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a ronda = the round

Portuguese usually uses articles more often than English does. In English, headlines or short descriptions might say just Round ended in a draw, but in Portuguese the full sentence normally uses the article:

• A ronda terminou num empate.

Also, ronda is a feminine noun, so it takes a, not o.

You mainly learn the gender together with the noun:

• a ronda
• uma ronda

The ending -a often suggests a feminine noun, and in this case that pattern is correct.

You can also see the gender from the article:

• A ronda → feminine

This matters because articles and some adjectives must agree with the noun.

Terminou is the pretérito perfeito in European Portuguese, usually called the simple past in English explanations.

It comes from the verb terminar = to finish / to end.

Conjugation:

• eu terminei = I finished
• tu terminaste = you finished
• ele/ela/você terminou = he/she/you finished
• nós terminámos = we finished
• vocês terminaram = you finished
• eles/elas terminaram = they finished

So terminou means:

• finished
• ended

In this sentence, the subject is a ronda, which is third person singular, so terminou is the correct form.

It can mean both, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• A ronda terminou = The round ended

That sounds natural because the round is the thing that came to an end.

Portuguese often uses terminar in ways very similar to English to end or to finish:

• O jogo terminou. = The game ended.
• A reunião terminou às cinco. = The meeting ended at five.
• Terminei o trabalho. = I finished the work.

So terminar can be:

• intransitive: A ronda terminou = The round ended
• transitive: Ela terminou o relatório = She finished the report

Yes. Num is the contraction of:

• em + um = num

So:

• num empate = em um empate

This contraction is very common and normally preferred in everyday Portuguese.

Other similar contractions:

• em + uma = numa
• em + o = no
• em + a = na
• de + o = do
• a + o = ao

So the sentence could be expanded to:

• A ronda terminou em um empate.

But num empate is the natural form.

This structure means something like:

• ended in a draw
• ended as a draw

It is a very common pattern:

• terminar em
  • result/state
• terminar num/numa
  • result/state

Examples:

• O jogo terminou num empate. = The match ended in a draw.
• A discussão terminou numa confusão. = The discussion ended in a mess.
• Tudo terminou bem. = Everything ended well.

So num empate expresses the outcome of the round.

Empate is a noun meaning:

• draw
• tie

It is used when neither side wins.

Examples:

• Foi um empate. = It was a draw.
• O jogo acabou em empate. = The game ended in a draw.
• Houve um empate entre as duas equipas. = There was a tie between the two teams.

In football or other sports, empate is extremely common.

Also note the gender:

• o empate = masculine
• um empate = a draw

That is why the sentence has num empate, not numa empate.

• empate is the noun: draw / tie
• empatar is the verb: to draw / to tie

Examples:

• O jogo terminou num empate. = The match ended in a draw.
• As duas equipas empataram. = The two teams drew.
• Portugal empatou com a Espanha. = Portugal drew with Spain.

So if you want the result as a thing, use empate. If you want the action/result as a verb, use empatar.

Sometimes yes, but it depends on meaning and context.

• terminou num empate focuses on the result: it ended in a draw
• terminou empatada uses an adjective-like past participle and can sound more marked or more dependent on context

With sports events, acabou/terminou em empate or num empate is the most straightforward and common way to express the result.

Very natural alternatives are:

• A ronda terminou em empate.
• A ronda acabou num empate.
• A ronda acabou empatada. (possible in some contexts, but less neutral than the noun phrase)

For a learner, terminou num empate is the safest pattern to remember.

Both can exist, but num empate often sounds more natural because empate is being presented as a countable result:

• um empate = a draw

So:

• terminou num empate = ended in a draw

You may also hear:

• terminou em empate

That is also correct and common.

Very roughly:

• em empate can sound a little more abstract
• num empate can sound a little more concrete, as a specific result

In many real situations, the difference is small, and both are acceptable.

Yes, it is natural and correct in European Portuguese.

A few other natural ways to say something similar are:

• A ronda terminou em empate.
• A ronda acabou num empate.
• A ronda acabou em empate.

Depending on the exact context, speakers might also choose a different noun instead of ronda, such as:

• jogo = game/match
• partida = match/game
• jornada = matchday/round
• eliminatória = knockout round/tie

But the original sentence itself is perfectly normal.

Yes, learners often notice that num can sound a bit like não in fast speech, but they are different words.

• num = em um
• não = not

In European Portuguese, num is short and unstressed in many contexts. It has a nasal vowel sound, but it is not the same as não.

Context usually makes the meaning completely clear:

• A ronda terminou num empate. → num must mean in a
• A ronda não terminou. → não means did not

So even if the sounds feel close at first, the grammar around them helps a lot.

Yes, but the original order is the most neutral:

• A ronda terminou num empate.

Portuguese allows some flexibility, but changing the order usually adds emphasis or sounds less neutral.

Possible variations:

• Terminou num empate, a ronda.
  Grammatically possible, but unusual in everyday speech unless you want a special dramatic effect.

• Num empate terminou a ronda.
  Possible, but marked and not the standard way a learner should say it.

So for normal use, keep:

• A ronda terminou num empate.

If you wanted to talk about more than one round, you would change the noun and the verb accordingly:

• As rondas terminaram em empate.
• As rondas terminaram num empate. (possible depending on intended meaning, though *em empate may sound more natural in plural contexts)*

Changes:

• a ronda → as rondas
• terminou → terminaram

If you mean each round ended in a draw, another clear option is:

• Todas as rondas terminaram empatadas.

A very useful pattern is:

• [subject] + terminar + em/numa/num + result

Examples:

• O jogo terminou num empate.
• A reunião terminou numa discussão.
• A história terminou bem.

From this sentence specifically, the key points are:

• a ronda = feminine noun with article
• terminou = simple past of terminar
• num = contraction of em um
• empate = noun meaning draw/tie

So a good model to keep in mind is:

• Something ended in some result
  → Algo terminou em / num resultado