Controlul începe azi.

Because -ul is the Romanian definite article attached to the end of the noun.

• control = a check / an inspection / control
• controlul = the check / the inspection

Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

So:

• controlul începe azi = the inspection starts today

Not always. This is an important vocabulary point.

In Romanian, control often means:

• inspection
• check
• examination
• screening

Depending on context, Controlul începe azi could mean things like:

• The inspection starts today
• The check starts today
• The screening begins today

So although Romanian control looks like English control, it is often a false friend or only a partial match.

Începe is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a începe, meaning to begin / to start.

Here the subject is controlul, which is singular, so the verb is singular too:

• a începe = to begin
• încep = I begin
• începi = you begin
• începe = he/she/it begins or it starts

So controlul începe literally means the inspection begins.

Romanian, like English, often uses the present tense for things that are:

• scheduled
• planned
• about to happen
• happening today

So Controlul începe azi is very natural and works like English:

• The inspection starts today

This is a normal present-tense use for a scheduled or expected event.

Yes. Azi means today, and it is basically a shorter form of astăzi.

Both are correct:

• azi = today
• astăzi = today

In many situations they are interchangeable. Azi often sounds a little shorter and more conversational.

So these both work:

• Controlul începe azi.
• Controlul începe astăzi.

Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible.

The neutral order here is:

• Controlul începe azi.

But you could also say:

• Azi începe controlul.

Both are correct. The difference is mostly one of focus or emphasis:

• Controlul începe azi. → emphasis first on the inspection
• Azi începe controlul. → emphasis first on today

English can do something similar:

• The inspection starts today.
• Today the inspection starts.

Because Romanian usually uses a postposed article, meaning the definite article goes after the noun, attached to it.

So instead of:

• English: the control

Romanian has:

• controlul

This is one of the big structural differences between English and Romanian.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• controlul ≈ kon-TRO-lool
• începe ≈ in-CHE-pe
• azi ≈ a-ZEE

A few notes:

• ce in începe sounds like che in check
• z in azi sounds like the z in zoo
• î is a specific Romanian vowel that does not exist exactly in English; learners often approximate it at first

A rough full pronunciation could be:

• kon-TRO-lool in-CHE-pe a-ZEE

The subject is controlul.

So the sentence structure is:

• Controlul = subject
• începe = verb
• azi = time expression

In a simple grammatical breakdown:

• The inspection = subject
• starts = verb
• today = adverb of time

Control is a neuter noun in Romanian.

Romanian neuter nouns behave:

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

Here we have the singular form, so it takes the singular definite ending -ul:

• control → controlul

This matters because noun gender affects:

• articles
• adjective agreement
• plural forms

But in this sentence, the main thing you notice is the definite form controlul.

Grammatically, yes, but in natural English the best translation usually depends on context.

Romanian controlul can refer to different kinds of checking, for example:

• a medical check
• an inspection
• a passport check
• a police check
• a quality-control inspection

So English usually chooses the most natural word for the situation, rather than always using control.

That is why The inspection starts today or The check starts today is often better than a very literal The control starts today.