Atacul începe noaptea.

Because atacul means the attack, while atac means just attack.

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

• atac = attack
• atacul = the attack

So in this sentence, -ul is the masculine/neuter singular definite article.

Romanian normally uses an attached definite article rather than a separate word.

So instead of:

• English: the attack

Romanian uses:

• atacul

This is very common in Romanian:

• băiat = boy → băiatul = the boy
• oraș = city → orașul = the city
• atac = attack → atacul = the attack

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

So:

• eu încep = I begin
• tu începi = you begin
• el/ea începe = he/she/it begins

In Atacul începe noaptea, the subject is atacul, which is singular, so începe is the correct form.

Romanian often does not need subject pronouns, because the verb ending already shows the person and number clearly enough.

So instead of saying something like it begins, Romanian can simply say:

• începe = begins / it begins

Here, the noun atacul already tells you what is beginning, so no extra pronoun is needed.

Here, noaptea means at night or during the night.

Although noaptea is also the definite form of noapte (night → the night), in sentences like this it often works as an adverbial expression of time.

So:

• noapte = night
• noaptea = the night / at night

In this sentence, it does not mean a specific object-like the night as much as a time expression: at night.

Because Romanian often uses certain time words directly as adverbial expressions, without a preposition.

So noaptea can naturally mean:

• at night
• during the night

This is just a normal Romanian pattern. English needs at, but Romanian does not always need an equivalent preposition.

Compare:

• ziua = by day / during the day
• noaptea = by night / during the night

Yes. Romanian, like English, can use the present tense for something scheduled, certain, or vivid.

So Atacul începe noaptea can mean:

• The attack begins at night
• and depending on context, also something like The attack starts at night

It may describe:

• a general fact,
• a planned event,
• or a dramatic narration.

The exact time sense depends on context.

A simple English-friendly guide would be:

ah-TAH-kool uhn-CHEH-peh NWAHP-tya

A few helpful notes:

• ă sounds like a short, neutral vowel, similar to the a in sofa
• î is a close central vowel, a sound English does not really have
• ce in începe sounds like che in check
• noaptea is roughly NWAHP-tya

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away, but it helps to notice that Romanian spelling is fairly regular.

This word order is very natural:

• Atacul = subject
• începe = verb
• noaptea = time expression

So it follows a common pattern:

Subject + Verb + Time

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but this version is neutral and straightforward. Changing the order can add emphasis, but Atacul începe noaptea is the most ordinary way to say it.

The dictionary forms are:

• atac = attack
• a începe = to begin / to start
• noapte = night

The sentence uses inflected forms:

• atacul = atac
  • definite article
• începe = present tense of a începe
• noaptea = form of noapte used here as a time expression

No, they are different.

• noaptea = at night / during the night in a general sense
• la noapte = tonight

So:

• Atacul începe noaptea = The attack begins at night.
• Atacul începe la noapte = The attack begins tonight.

That is an important difference.