The ending -ul is the definite article attached to the noun.
Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun, not before it.
This is one of the big differences from English. Instead of a separate word like the, Romanian often adds an ending to the noun itself.
Yes. Acesta is masculine singular.
Some related forms are:
So the form changes depending on gender and number.
Here, acesta matches sfârșitul, which is a masculine singular noun.
The normal, neutral order is:
Romanian word order is fairly flexible, but changing it usually changes the emphasis.
For example:
So the sentence you have is the standard order.
Not in this sentence, if you want the meaning this is the end.
Romanian often drops personal subject pronouns because the verb already shows the person:
But acesta is not just an optional subject pronoun like he or she. It is a demonstrative meaning this. If you remove it, you change the sentence:
So if you specifically want this, you should keep acesta.
A rough pronunciation is:
Two letters may look unfamiliar:
So:
Also, the stress is usually on the second syllable:
sfâr-ȘI-tul
Yes, but it is not exactly the same in tone.
So:
If you are learning the most direct, standard version of the sentence, sfârșitul is the best choice.