Olarul modelează fie vaza, fie mânerul.

Because -ul is the definite article attached to the end of a masculine singular noun.

So:

• olar = potter
• olarul = the potter

Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun, not before it as English does.

Romanian normally uses a postposed definite article, which means the article is attached to the noun itself.

In this sentence:

• olarul = the potter
• vaza = the vase
• mânerul = the handle

So instead of a separate word like English the, Romanian changes the noun form.

The ending depends on the noun’s gender and form.

Here:

• vază is feminine
  • vază = a vase
  • vaza = the vase
• mâner is neuter
  • mâner = a handle
  • mânerul = the handle

So the definite article is not always the same:

• many masculine/neuter singular nouns take -ul
• many feminine singular nouns take -a

That is why you see vaza but mânerul.

They are:

• olar — masculine
• vază — feminine
• mâner — neuter

A useful thing to remember about Romanian neuter nouns is that they behave:

• like masculine in the singular
• like feminine in the plural

That is why mânerul has the masculine-looking singular ending -ul.

Modelează is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a modela.

So it means:

• he models / shapes
• she models / shapes
• it models / shapes

In this sentence, the subject is olarul (the potter), so modelează means the potter shapes/models.

Here a modela means something like:

• to shape
• to form
• to mold

Because the subject is the potter, the idea is that the potter is physically shaping clay into something.

So although English model can sometimes mean other things, here the sense is clearly to shape or mold by hand.

Fie ... fie ... means either ... or ....

So:

• fie vaza, fie mânerul = either the vase or the handle

It is a pair: Romanian normally repeats fie before each alternative.

This is similar to English:

• either A or B

Not exactly, though they are related.

• sau = or
• fie ... fie ... = either ... or ...

Fie ... fie ... feels more clearly like a choice between alternatives. It can sound a bit more structured or emphatic than just sau.

For example:

• Olarul modelează vaza sau mânerul = The potter shapes the vase or the handle
• Olarul modelează fie vaza, fie mânerul = The potter shapes either the vase or the handle

Both are possible, but fie ... fie ... highlights the two alternatives more strongly.

Usually it presents alternatives, like English either ... or ....

In many contexts, that suggests one or the other. But in natural language, whether it is strictly exclusive can depend on context.

So the safest understanding is:

• it sets up two alternatives
• it does not automatically function like a strict logic symbol

In this sentence, most learners would naturally understand it as either the vase or the handle.

Yes, Romanian word order is more flexible than English, but this sentence uses the most neutral order:

• Subject + Verb + Object
• Olarul
  • modelează
    • fie vaza, fie mânerul

This is the normal, straightforward way to say it.

Romanian can move words around for emphasis, but for a learner, this version is the clearest and most standard.

Because pe is mainly used with direct objects that are people, especially specific ones.

Here the objects are things:

• vaza = the vase
• mânerul = the handle

So no pe is needed.

Compare:

• Văd omul. = I see the man.
• often Îl văd pe om. = I see the man.

But with inanimate objects like vase or handles, Romanian normally does not use pe.

Then the nouns would usually be indefinite instead of definite:

• Olarul modelează fie o vază, fie un mâner.

Compare:

• vaza = the vase
• o vază = a vase
• mânerul = the handle
• un mâner = a handle

So the sentence you were given specifically uses definite nouns: the vase and the handle.

Two important vowels appear here:

• ă in modelează
• â in mânerul

A rough guide:

• ă is like the weak vowel at the end of English sofa
• â has no exact English equivalent; it is a central vowel pronounced deeper in the mouth

So:

• modelează contains that softer ă sound at the end
• mânerul begins with â, which English speakers usually need practice to master

Also, Romanian spelling is quite regular, so these letters consistently represent distinct sounds.

In this structure, Romanian normally uses the pair:

• fie ... fie ...

So in standard usage, both are expected.

This is similar to English needing both parts of either ... or ... for the full correlative structure.

So:

• fie vaza, fie mânerul is the normal pattern

Yes. Besides being part of fie ... fie ..., fie can also appear in other uses.

For example, it can come from the verb a fi (to be) in certain expressions, or it can introduce wishes or set phrases.

But in your sentence, you should treat it simply as the conjunction in:

• fie ... fie ... = either ... or ...

That is the important meaning here.