Petentul se apropie acum.

Because -ul is the Romanian definite article for a masculine singular noun.

So:

• petent = a petitioner / an applicant
• petentul = the petitioner / the applicant

Unlike English, Romanian usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front.

Other examples:

• băiat = boy
• băiatul = the boy

So petentul means the petitioner/applicant.

Petentul is a fairly formal word. It usually means something like:

• the petitioner
• the applicant
• the claimant

It is most common in legal, administrative, or official contexts.

In everyday conversation, Romanians would often use a different noun depending on the situation, such as:

• solicitantul = the applicant
• reclamantul = the complainant / claimant
• omul = the man / the person if the context is informal

So this sentence sounds somewhat official or bureaucratic.

Se apropie comes from the verb a se apropia, which means:

• to approach
• to come near
• to get closer

So se apropie means:

• he/she/it approaches
• is approaching
• comes closer

Romanian present tense can often translate into English in more than one way depending on context.

Because a se apropia is a pronominal/reflexive verb in Romanian.

That means the verb is normally used with a reflexive pronoun:

• mă apropii = I approach / I come closer
• te apropii = you approach
• se apropie = he/she approaches

In this verb, se does not necessarily mean the person is doing something to themselves in a literal English reflexive sense. It is simply part of how the verb is formed in Romanian.

So you should learn it as a full unit:

• a se apropia = to approach / to come near

not just a apropia.

Yes, but it has a different use.

• a se apropia = to approach / to come near
• a apropia = to bring something closer / to move something nearer

For example:

• Petentul se apropie. = The petitioner approaches.
• El apropie scaunul de masă. = He moves the chair closer to the table.

So in your sentence, se apropie is the correct form because the subject itself is coming nearer.

It is present tense, 3rd person singular.

That means it can refer to:

• he approaches
• she approaches
• it approaches
• sometimes is approaching, depending on context

Romanian does not have a separate continuous form like English is approaching. The simple present often covers both ideas.

Because Romanian often omits subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

In this sentence, the subject is already stated as petentul, so there is no need to add el.

Romanian normally says:

• Petentul se apropie acum.

not:

• Petentul el se apropie acum.

Adding el here would usually sound unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

Acum means now.

It tells you the action is happening at this moment or in the present situation.

So it adds a time reference:

• Petentul se apropie. = The petitioner approaches / is approaching.
• Petentul se apropie acum. = The petitioner is approaching now.

Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbs like acum.

You could also say:

• Acum petentul se apropie.
• Petentul acum se apropie.

These are all possible, though they may sound slightly different in emphasis.

• Petentul se apropie acum. = neutral
• Acum petentul se apropie. = emphasis on now
• Petentul acum se apropie. = can sound contrastive, like the petitioner is approaching now (at this point)

The version you gave is perfectly natural.

You know from the noun petentul.

Since petentul is a masculine singular noun, the sentence means:

• the petitioner/applicant approaches
• more literally, he approaches, if you replace the noun with a pronoun

Romanian verb forms in the 3rd person singular do not distinguish he, she, and it, so the noun or context tells you which one is meant.

It is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

In Romanian, the nominative is used for the doer of the action.

Here:

• petentul = the subject
• se apropie = the verb
• acum = adverb of time

For masculine singular nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are often identical, so the form itself does not change here.

A helpful approximate pronunciation is:

• a-PRO-pye

And the whole sentence is approximately:

• pe-TEN-tul se a-PRO-pye a-KUM

A few notes:

• e is usually like e in bet
• o is like o in for, but shorter and cleaner
• ie at the end of apropie sounds like ye
• c in acum is a hard k sound

Romanian spelling is fairly phonetic, so pronunciation is usually more predictable than in English.

Yes, grammatically it is natural. The only thing to notice is that petentul is a somewhat formal/official word, so the sentence sounds like something you might read in:

• a legal text
• an administrative report
• an official description of events

In casual everyday speech, a different noun might be more likely, but the sentence itself is correct and natural in the right context.

Yes. Romanian present tense often covers both meanings.

So depending on context, Petentul se apropie acum could be understood as:

• The petitioner approaches now
• The petitioner is approaching now

In English, is approaching now is usually the more natural translation in most contexts, but Romanian uses the same present form for both.

They are:

• eu mă apropii = I approach / I am approaching
• tu te apropii = you approach
• el/ea se apropie = he/she approaches
• noi ne apropiem = we approach
• voi vă apropiați = you all approach
• ei/ele se apropie = they approach

Your sentence uses the 3rd person singular form:

• se apropie

Because that is the normal 3rd person singular present form of a se apropia:

• el/ea se apropie

Many Romanian verbs have specific conjugation patterns, and this verb belongs to a pattern where the 3rd person singular present ends in -e.

So this is not something unusual in the sentence; it is just the regular conjugated form of the verb.