Coliziunea avariază aripa și farul.

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

So:

• coliziune = collision

• coliziunea = the collision

• aripă = wing / fender

• aripa = the wing / the fender

• far = headlight
• farul = the headlight

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Romanian has an enclitic definite article, meaning it is attached to the noun.

Avariază is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb a avaria = to damage.

So:

• eu avariez = I damage
• tu avariezi = you damage
• el/ea avariază = he/she/it damages

In this sentence, the subject is coliziunea (the collision), which is singular, so Romanian uses avariază = damages.

Because the subject is singular: coliziunea = the collision.

Romanian verbs agree with the subject, just like in English:

• Coliziunea avariază... = The collision damages...
• If the subject were plural, the verb would also change.

For example:

• Coliziunile avariază... = The collisions damage...

So avariază is singular because coliziunea is singular.

Romanian often uses the definite article where English also uses the.

Here, aripa and farul mean:

• the wing / the fender
• the headlight

This suggests specific parts affected by the collision, not just any wing or any headlight.

Romanian is often very comfortable making nouns definite in this kind of context, especially when the things are understood as specific parts of a vehicle.

Yes, aripă literally means wing, but in vehicle vocabulary it can also mean fender or a wing-like body panel.

So in a car-related sentence, aripa usually does not mean a bird’s wing. It means a vehicle part, often translated as:

• fender
• sometimes wing in British-style automotive English

So the exact English translation may depend on context.

Yes. Far can mean:

• headlight
• lighthouse

The context tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, because we also have aripa and a collision damaging vehicle parts, farul clearly means the headlight.

If someone said:

• Farul este pe coastă.
  that would mean The lighthouse is on the coast.

Because they are direct objects, and in Romanian direct objects usually do not need a preposition.

So:

• Coliziunea avariază aripa și farul.

Here, aripa and farul are the things being damaged.

Romanian sometimes uses pe before direct objects, but mainly with people or highly specific animate objects:

• Văd fata. = I see the girl.
• O văd pe fata aceea. = I see that girl.

But with inanimate things like aripa and farul, Romanian normally does not use pe.

This is the most neutral and natural word order: Subject + Verb + Object.

So:

• Coliziunea = subject
• avariază = verb
• aripa și farul = objects

Romanian word order is more flexible than English, because endings and context often make the grammar clear. But SVO is the standard, neutral choice.

You might also see other orders for emphasis, but this sentence is the plain, straightforward version.

Și means and.

It is pronounced roughly like shee in English.

Important spelling point:

• ș = the sh sound
• i = ee

So și = sh-ee

Do not pronounce it like English see. The comma-like mark under ș is important.

The letter ă is a very common Romanian vowel. It sounds like a short, relaxed uh sound, similar to the a in English sofa for many speakers.

So avariază is approximately:

• a-va-ri-a-zuh

Not perfect English-style spelling, but good enough to help.

A few pronunciation notes for the whole word:

• a-va-ri-a-ză
• stress is usually heard around -a- before the final ză: avariÁză

It is perfectly correct, and it is common especially in formal, technical, journalistic, insurance, or repair contexts.

It means to damage or to put out of order.

Depending on context, Romanians might also use other verbs such as:

• a strica = to break / ruin
• a deteriora = to damage / deteriorate
• a lovi = to hit

But a avaria is a very good choice when talking about accidents, vehicles, equipment, and mechanical damage.

Yes, grammatically it could, but the meaning would change.

For example:

• O coliziune avariază o aripă și un far.

That means something more like:

• A collision damages a fender and a headlight.

This sounds more general or less specific.

The original sentence with coliziunea, aripa, and farul sounds more specific, as if we are talking about a particular collision and particular parts.

Yes. Și joins two direct objects:

• aripa = the fender / wing
• farul = the headlight

So the sentence says that the collision damages both parts.

Romanian, like English, does not need to repeat the verb:

• Coliziunea avariază aripa și farul.
• literally: The collision damages the fender and the headlight.

Useful plurals are:

• coliziune → coliziuni
• aripă → aripi
• far → faruri

And with the definite article:

• coliziunile = the collisions
• aripile = the wings / fenders
• farurile = the headlights

So you could say:

• Coliziunile avariază aripile și farurile.
  = The collisions damage the fenders and the headlights.

Yes. It is grammatical and natural, especially in a formal or descriptive context such as:

• accident reports
• repair descriptions
• technical language
• textbook examples

In everyday speech, some speakers might choose a different verb depending on the situation, but the sentence itself is completely normal Romanian.