Scurtcircuitul oprește aparatul electrocasnic.

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

• scurtcircuit = short circuit
• scurtcircuitul = the short circuit

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

For the same reason: aparatul means the appliance/device, while aparat means an appliance/device or just appliance/device.

So:

• aparat electrocasnic = a household appliance
• aparatul electrocasnic = the household appliance

Romanian marks definiteness directly on the noun, so aparatul includes the idea of the.

Electrocasnic is an adjective. It describes aparatul.

• aparat = appliance/device
• electrocasnic = household / domestic electrical

So aparat electrocasnic means household appliance.

In Romanian, adjectives often come after the noun, unlike in English.

Because in Romanian, the normal position for many adjectives is after the noun.

So Romanian says:

• aparat electrocasnic literally: appliance household

but in natural English we say:

• household appliance

This noun + adjective order is very common in Romanian:

• om bun = good man
• mașină nouă = new car
• aparat electrocasnic = household appliance

Oprește is the 3rd person singular present tense of a opri.

Depending on context, a opri can mean:

• to stop
• to halt
• to switch off / shut off

In this sentence, oprește aparatul electrocasnic most naturally means something like:

• stops the appliance
• shuts off the appliance
• causes the appliance to stop working

Because the sentence is a complete statement with a subject:

• Scurtcircuitul = the short circuit
• oprește = stops / shuts off
• aparatul electrocasnic = the household appliance

Romanian finite verbs change form depending on person and number.
Here the subject is third person singular (the short circuit), so the verb is oprește.

Compare:

• eu opresc = I stop
• tu oprești = you stop
• el/ea oprește = he/she/it stops

Because pe is not normally used before a direct object when the object is an inanimate thing like aparatul electrocasnic.

Romanian often uses pe with:

• people
• animate beings
• strongly specific direct objects, especially pronouns

Examples:

• Văd copilul. = I see the child.
• Îl văd pe Andrei. = I see Andrei.

But here:

• oprește aparatul electrocasnic is normal
• pe would not be expected

In this sentence, the most natural reading is:

• Scurtcircuitul = subject
• oprește = verb
• aparatul electrocasnic = direct object

Romanian word order is often flexible, but subject + verb + object is a very common neutral order.

Also, semantically it makes sense:

• a short circuit can stop an appliance
• an appliance is the thing being affected

So the sentence is understood as: The short circuit stops the household appliance.

It is generally treated as a neuter noun in Romanian.

In Romanian, neuter nouns behave:

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

That is why in the singular definite form you see:

• scurtcircuitul

This -ul ending is the same one many masculine and neuter nouns use in the singular definite form.

A helpful approximation is oh-PRESH-teh.

Key points:

• o = like o in off (roughly)
• pr = pronounced clearly together
• ș = sh
• te = short teh

So oprește sounds roughly like oh-PRESH-teh.

The letter ș always represents the sh sound.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

skoort-cheer-KOO-ee-tool

That is only an approximation, but it can help at first.

A few useful points:

• scurt sounds roughly like skoort
• circuit in Romanian is not pronounced like English circuit
• ci before a vowel gives a ch-like sound here
• the ending -ul is the attached definite article

If you want to break it up:

• scurt + circuit + ul

Yes. Romanian allows more flexibility than English, although not every order sounds equally neutral.

The basic neutral order here is:

• Scurtcircuitul oprește aparatul electrocasnic.

You might also see different orders for emphasis, but this version is the most straightforward for a learner:

• subject first
• verb second
• object last

So this sentence is a good model of standard Romanian word order.

Mostly, yes. Electrocasnic is commonly used for household electrical items or things related to them.

For example:

• aparat electrocasnic = household appliance
• produse electrocasnice = household electrical products

It refers to the domestic appliance sense of electrical, not just anything powered by electricity. So it is more specific than simply electric.