Totul s-a întâmplat repede.

Totul means everything.

It is built from tot (all / everything) plus the definite article -ul, so literally it is something like the whole thing / everything.

A useful contrast:

• tot can mean all, entirely, or still, depending on context
• totul specifically means everything

Examples:

• Totul e bine. = Everything is fine.
• Am citit tot. = I read everything.
  In some contexts, Romanian can use tot by itself, but totul is very common when you mean everything as a noun.

Because the verb is a se întâmpla, which means to happen.

This is a pronominal/reflexive-looking verb in Romanian. Even though English just says to happen, Romanian uses the fixed form a se întâmpla.

So in the past tense, you need both:

• s- = shortened form of se
• a = auxiliary verb has

So:

• se + a + întâmplat → s-a întâmplat

This literally looks like itself-has happened, but you should learn it as a single Romanian verb pattern:
a se întâmpla = to happen

It is the perfectul compus, the Romanian tense most commonly used for completed past actions.

Structure here:

• s-a = clitic pronoun + auxiliary
• întâmplat = past participle

So s-a întâmplat means happened / has happened depending on context.

In this sentence:

• Totul s-a întâmplat repede.
• Everything happened quickly.

Romanian often uses perfectul compus where English simply uses the simple past.

Not in the same way as English wash oneself or see oneself.

In Romanian, some verbs are pronominal: they use forms like se, but the meaning is not literally reflexive. A se întâmpla is one of them.

So:

• a se întâmpla = to happen
• not to happen itself

It is best to memorize it as a whole verb.

Other Romanian verbs work similarly: they contain se, but English does not translate them with oneself.

This is a contraction used before a vowel.

• Full form: se a
• Contracted form: s-a

Romanian does this very often with short unstressed words, especially clitic pronouns.

So:

• se + a întâmplat → s-a întâmplat

The hyphen shows that the words are closely linked in pronunciation and grammar.

Because Romanian usually does not need a dummy subject like English it.

English says:

• It happened quickly.

But Romanian does not need that kind of placeholder subject. Here, the actual subject is already present:

• Totul = everything

So the sentence already has its subject:

• Totul s-a întâmplat repede.

You do not need an extra pronoun.

Repede is an adverb meaning quickly / fast.

Placing it at the end is very natural in Romanian:

• Totul s-a întâmplat repede.

This is similar to English:

• Everything happened quickly.

Romanian adverbs are fairly flexible, but the end position is especially common and neutral.

You may also hear other word orders for emphasis, but this version is the most straightforward.

Yes, both are possible, but they are slightly different in tone.

• Totul s-a întâmplat repede = very natural, everyday
• Totul s-a petrecut repede = also natural, a bit more formal or narrative
• Totul s-a întâmplat rapid = correct, but rapid can sound a little more formal or bookish than repede

For most everyday situations, repede is the safest choice.

The dictionary form is a se întâmpla.

Here is the breakdown:

• infinitive: a se întâmpla = to happen
• past participle: întâmplat
• full past form here: s-a întâmplat = happened / has happened

So when you look it up, do not search only for întâmplat. The full verb is a se întâmpla.

Because Romanian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word like the before it.

So:

• tot
  • -ul → totul

This is one of the most characteristic features of Romanian grammar.

Compare:

• English: the boy
• Romanian: băiatul

In totul, the ending -ul helps create the meaning everything / the whole thing.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

în-tuhm-PLAHT

A few important points:

• î is a Romanian vowel that does not exist exactly in English; it is a central, tight vowel
• â in tâm is pronounced the same as î
• the stress falls on the last syllable: întâmPLAT

So the whole sentence is roughly:

TOH-tool suh ah een-tuhm-PLAHT reh-PEH-deh

This is only approximate, but it can help at first.

Yes. In many contexts, repede can correspond to either quickly or fast in English.

So:

• Totul s-a întâmplat repede. can be understood as:
• Everything happened quickly.
• Everything happened fast.

In careful English, quickly is the more natural translation here because it modifies the verb happened.

Yes, it is completely natural.

Totul s-a întâmplat repede. is a standard, idiomatic way to say that events unfolded very quickly.

It sounds natural in everyday speech, storytelling, and writing. It is the kind of sentence a native speaker would really say.