Bărbatul fuge.

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

• bărbat = man
• bărbatul = the man

So Romanian often says the by adding an ending, instead of using a separate word like English does.

Romanian usually puts the definite article after the noun.

So:

• the man → bărbatul
• not a separate word + noun, as in English

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

Usually, bărbat means man in the sense of an adult male. In some contexts, it can also mean husband.

In Bărbatul fuge, it means the man, not the husband, unless the larger context makes that clear.

Fuge is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a fugi.

That means it goes with subjects like:

• el = he
• ea = she
• bărbatul = the man

So bărbatul fuge matches English the man runs / is running.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Romanian present tense often covers both:

• The man runs
• The man is running

So without extra context, Bărbatul fuge could describe either a habitual action or something happening right now.

Good question: a fugi often has the sense of running away, fleeing, or escaping.

So in many situations, fuge can suggest:

• he runs away
• he flees

In simple beginner sentences, it is often translated just as runs, but the idea of escape is very common with this verb.

Because Romanian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form fuge already tells you the subject is 3rd person singular, so Romanian does not need to say el every time.

You could say:

• El fuge. = He runs / He is running

But in Bărbatul fuge, the subject is already stated, so adding el would usually be unnecessary.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

buhr-BAH-tool FOO-jeh

A few helpful details:

• ă sounds like the a in about
• u sounds like oo
• g before e sounds like j in jam

So fuge sounds like FOO-jeh, not FOOG.

Yes, but Bărbatul fuge is the most neutral, standard order.

This is the basic pattern:

• subject + verb

You may also see:

• Fuge bărbatul.

That is possible, but it sounds more marked or context-dependent, with a different emphasis. For a beginner, Bărbatul fuge is the safest normal order to learn first.

You would say:

Un bărbat fuge.

Compare:

• bărbatul = the man
• un bărbat = a man

So the difference is:

• Bărbatul fuge. = The man runs / is running.
• Un bărbat fuge. = A man runs / is running.

Here bărbatul is the subject of the sentence, so it is in the nominative form.

In this sentence:

• bărbatul = the subject
• fuge = the verb

At a beginner level, the important thing is simply to recognize that bărbatul is who is doing the action.