Războiul se termină.

Because războiul means the war, while război means just war.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

• război = war
• războiul = the war

So Războiul se termină literally contains the war as its subject.

The ending -ul is the masculine/neuter singular definite article, meaning the.

In this sentence:

• război = war
• războiul = the war

You will often see this pattern in Romanian:

• băiat = boy → băiatul = the boy
• oraș = city → orașul = the city
• război = war → războiul = the war

So English uses a separate word (the), but Romanian often attaches it to the noun.

Here se is a reflexive/pronominal marker that is part of the verb phrase a se termina.

In this sentence, a se termina means to end / to come to an end.

So:

• Războiul se termină = The war is ending / The war ends
• literally, something like The war ends itself, but you should not translate it that way in natural English

Romanian often uses this kind of structure where English simply uses an intransitive verb:

• Ușa se deschide = The door opens / is opening
• Filmul se termină = The film ends / is ending

So se is not optional here if you want this meaning.

Yes. They are closely related but used differently.

• a termina = to finish something
• a se termina = to end / to come to an end

Examples:

• Termin cartea. = I finish the book.
• Cartea se termină. = The book ends / is ending.

So in your sentence, the war is not finishing something else. The war itself is coming to an end, so Romanian uses se termină.

Romanian present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive idea.

So se termină can mean:

• ends
• is ending

Which one sounds best in English depends on context.

For example:

• Războiul se termină anul acesta. = The war ends this year.
• Uite, războiul se termină. = Look, the war is ending.

Romanian does not need a separate form like English is ending in order to express an action happening now.

You decide from context.

Without extra context, Războiul se termină can mean either:

• The war ends
• The war is ending

A native speaker understands the intended meaning from the situation, time expressions, and surrounding sentences.

As a learner, it is useful to remember that Romanian present tense is more flexible than English present tense.

Termină is third person singular present.

That matches the subject războiul (the war), which is singular.

The verb a se termina in the present tense goes like this:

• eu mă termin
• tu te termini
• el/ea se termină
• noi ne terminăm
• voi vă terminați
• ei/ele se termină

In your sentence, războiul is like it, so Romanian uses the el/ea form: se termină.

Război is a neuter noun in Romanian.

Romanian neuter nouns behave like:

• masculine in the singular
• feminine in the plural

That is why in the singular you get:

• un război = a war
• războiul = the war

And in the plural:

• două războaie = two wars
• războaiele = the wars

This is a very common pattern in Romanian.

Yes, Se termină războiul is also possible.

Both are grammatically correct, but the emphasis can feel different.

• Războiul se termină puts the war first as the topic or subject
• Se termină războiul can sound a bit more like The war is ending with focus on the event itself, depending on context

Romanian word order is more flexible than English, but the neutral basic order is often subject + verb.

The letter ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It is a short central sound, somewhat like the a in English about, but not always exactly the same.

So roughly:

• războiul ≈ ruhz-BOY-ul
• termină ≈ ter-MEE-nuh

This is only an approximation. The important thing for learners is that ă is a distinct Romanian vowel, and it is not pronounced like a strong English a in cat or father.

A rough English-style pronunciation is:

ruhz-BOY-ul

Breakdown:

• răz ≈ ruhz
• boi sounds like English boy
• ul is a short ending, roughly ool or ul, depending on accent and speed

So the stress is on boi: răzBOIul.

Because it uses the definite form războiul (the war), it normally refers to a specific war that speaker and listener both understand from context.

If you wanted to speak more generally, you would usually not use the definite article:

• Războiul distruge vieți. = War destroys lives.
  Here Romanian may still use the definite form in a general sense, depending on style and meaning.

But in Războiul se termină, the most natural reading is that a particular war is coming to an end.

Not exactly. Războiul se termină means the war is ending or ends. It suggests the process is happening or about to happen.

If you want to say The war is over, Romanian would more naturally say:

• Războiul s-a terminat. = The war has ended / is over

So:

• se termină = is ending / ends
• s-a terminat = has ended / is over

That tense difference is important.