La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato al final del partido.

Because árbitra is the feminine form of árbitro (referee). The sentence is referring to a female referee, so Spanish uses:

• el árbitro = the male referee
• la árbitra = the female referee

The article la also shows that the noun is feminine here.

It has an accent because of Spanish stress rules. Árbitra is stressed on the first syllable: ÁR-bi-tra.

Without the written accent, the stress would follow the normal spelling rules and would not be pronounced correctly. The accent mark tells you exactly where the stress goes.

Literally, hizo sonar means made ... sound.

So:

• hizo sonar el silbato = blew the whistle / made the whistle sound

This is a very natural Spanish way to say someone caused an instrument or device to produce a sound.

By contrast:

• sonó el silbato = the whistle sounded

That version focuses more on the whistle itself making the sound, not on the referee actively doing it. In your sentence, Spanish highlights the referee’s action.

Hizo is the preterite form of hacer for él/ella/usted:

• hacer = to do, to make
• hizo = he/she did, made

Here it means she made the whistle sound:

• La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato = The referee blew the whistle

The preterite is used because this is a completed action in the past.

In Spanish, after hacer, it is very common to use another verb directly in the infinitive:

• hacer + infinitive

So:

• hacer sonar = to make sound
• hacer reír = to make laugh
• hacer llorar = to make cry

English often needs to in similar structures, but Spanish does not here.

Spanish often uses the definite article more than English does. So el silbato is perfectly natural even when English might simply say the whistle or even just whistle in some contexts.

Here:

• el silbato = the whistle

It refers to the specific whistle the referee was using.

Al final means at the end.

Al is a contraction of:

• a + el = al

So:

• al final = at the end

This contraction is required whenever a is followed by el (except when el is part of a proper name).

Del is the contraction of:

• de + el = del

So:

• del partido = of the match/game

Just like al, this contraction is normally required in Spanish.

No. In this sentence, partido means match or game, especially in sports.

So:

• el partido = the match / the game

Spanish partido can also mean political party in other contexts, but here the sports context makes the meaning clear.

Normally, no. That sounds unnatural in standard Spanish.

The usual options are:

• La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato
• La árbitra pitó al final del partido = The referee blew the whistle at the end of the match
• Sonó el silbato al final del partido = The whistle sounded at the end of the match

So hacer sonar is the natural choice if you want to say the referee caused the whistle to sound.

That word order is natural and neutral in Spanish. The sentence goes:

• subject: La árbitra
• verb phrase: hizo sonar
• object: el silbato
• time phrase: al final del partido

Spanish is fairly flexible with word order, but this order sounds completely standard.

You could move the time phrase for emphasis:

• Al final del partido, la árbitra hizo sonar el silbato.

Both are correct.

Usually, yes. Silbato means whistle, especially the object used by referees, coaches, police officers, and so on.

Be careful not to confuse it with:

• silbido = whistling sound or whistle sound

So in this sentence:

• silbato = the physical whistle
• not the sound itself

Yes. It is natural Spanish, and árbitra is especially normal in modern Spanish from Spain when referring to a female referee.

In Spain, you might also hear sport-related alternatives like:

• La árbitra pitó el final del partido
• La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato al final del partido

Your sentence is clear, correct, and natural.