Proprietarul sună azi.

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun, not placed before it as a separate word.

• proprietar = owner
• proprietarul = the owner

So -ul here means the.

This is a very common Romanian pattern:

• băiat = boy
• băiatul = the boy

Sună is from the verb a suna.

Depending on context, a suna can mean:

• to call (someone, usually by phone)
• to ring
• to sound

In this sentence, it most naturally means calls or is calling.

Sună is present tense, third person singular.

That means it matches:

• he/she calls
• it rings
• the owner calls

In Romanian, the present tense can sometimes also express a near future, depending on context. So this sentence could mean:

• The owner calls today
• The owner is calling today
• sometimes even The owner will call today

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

Because the verb form already shows the person and number, Romanian does not need to say el (he) here.

So instead of saying:

• El sună azi

Romanian can simply say:

• Proprietarul sună azi

This is very normal.

Yes. Azi means today.

It is essentially the shorter, very common form of astăzi.

So:

• azi = today
• astăzi = today

Both are correct. Azi often sounds a bit more natural in everyday speech because it is shorter.

Yes, Romanian word order is more flexible than English word order.

Proprietarul sună azi is a neutral, natural order:

• The owner calls today

But Romanian can also change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Azi sună proprietarul = Today the owner is the one calling
• Sună proprietarul azi = possible, but more marked depending on context

So the given order is the most straightforward one, but not the only possible one.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

pro-pri-e-TA-rul SU-nuh A-zee

A few useful notes:

• ă in sună is a short neutral vowel, like the a in sofa
• z in azi sounds like English z
• the stress is roughly:
  • proprieTArul
  • SUnă
  • aZI

This form is grammatically masculine singular.

• proprietar = owner / landlord (masculine form)
• proprietarul = the owner / the landlord

The feminine form is:

• proprietară = female owner
• proprietara = the female owner

So if the owner were clearly female, Romanian would usually use proprietara.

Yes. Proprietar can mean owner, but in many everyday situations it can also mean landlord, depending on context.

For example, if people are talking about an apartment, proprietarul will often be understood as the landlord.

So the exact English translation depends on the situation.

Yes. The verb a suna is broader than English to call.

It can mean things like:

• The phone rings
• The bell rings
• It sounds
• Someone calls

So without context, sună is somewhat flexible. In this sentence, the meaning is probably calls, but Romanian speakers rely on context to know which sense is intended.

Because azi is an adverb, not a noun.

Adverbs do not take articles. It simply means today and tells you when the action happens.

So:

• sună = calls
• azi = today

Together: calls today

Yes, it is completely normal.

Just like in English, to call can be used without mentioning the person being called if that information is already known or not important.

So Proprietarul sună azi is a complete sentence meaning that the owner is making the call today. If needed, Romanian could add more information, but it does not have to.