kaigi ha sorosoro hazimarimasu.

は marks 会議 as the topic of the sentence.

So 会議はそろそろ始まります is literally something like:

• As for the meeting, it will start soon.

In natural English, we usually just say The meeting will start soon.

A common beginner confusion is thinking は always means is or always marks the subject. It does not. Here, it introduces what the sentence is about: the meeting.

This is about the difference between an intransitive and a transitive verb.

• 始まる（はじまる） = to begin / to start
  
  • something starts by itself
• 始める（はじめる） = to start something
  
  • someone starts something

In this sentence, the meeting itself is beginning, so Japanese uses 始まります from 始まる.

Compare:

• 会議は始まります。 = The meeting starts.
• 部長が会議を始めます。 = The manager starts the meeting.

So 始まります is the correct choice here.

そろそろ means something like:

• soon
• before long
• it’s about time
• any minute now

It often has the nuance that the time has more or less arrived.

So 会議はそろそろ始まります feels a bit like:

• The meeting will be starting soon.
• The meeting is about to start.
• The meeting should be starting any minute now.

It is slightly different from a plain future statement, because it suggests the start time is close.

Japanese uses the non-past form for both:

• present
• future

So 始まります can mean:

• starts
• will start

The future meaning is understood from context. Because of そろそろ, it clearly means something like will start soon.

This is very normal in Japanese. For example:

• 明日、学校へ行きます。 = I’ll go to school tomorrow.

Even though 行きます is not a special future form, it still refers to the future because of 明日.

Not necessarily in a strict grammar sense. It is definitely the topic because it is marked by は.

In many simple sentences, the topic and the subject may seem similar in English, but Japanese distinguishes them.

A useful beginner-level understanding is:

• 会議は = As for the meeting...
• 始まります = it begins / will begin

So in practice, you can understand 会議 as the main thing being talked about, even if Japanese grammar is handling it as the topic.

It is polite because the verb is in the -ます form:

• dictionary form: 始まる
• polite form: 始まります

This is the standard polite style used in:

• workplaces
• announcements
• public situations
• speaking to people you are not close with

Since meeting is a workplace-related word, the polite form sounds very natural.

The casual version would be:

• 会議はそろそろ始まる。

Yes, you often can, but the nuance is slightly different.

• もうすぐ = soon / in a little while
• そろそろ = soon / it’s about time / any minute now

Compare:

• 会議はもうすぐ始まります。
  = The meeting will start soon.
• 会議はそろそろ始まります。
  = The meeting should be starting about now / any minute now.

そろそろ often feels a little more like the expected time has nearly come.

Yes, Japanese word order is more flexible than English, as long as the particles make the roles clear.

The most natural version here is:

• 会議はそろそろ始まります。

But you may also hear:

• そろそろ会議は始まります。

This puts a little more attention on soon.

Even so, not every order sounds equally natural in every context. For learners, it is safest to stick with:

• 会議はそろそろ始まります。

Sometimes, yes, especially in casual conversation or when the topic is obvious.

For example, in speech you might hear:

• 会議、そろそろ始まります。

This can sound natural in conversation or announcements.

However, for learners, keeping は is helpful because it makes the structure clearer:

• 会議はそろそろ始まります。

That is the safest and most standard version.

No. Japanese is normally written without spaces.

So this sentence would usually appear as:

• 会議はそろそろ始まります。

Spaces are often added in textbooks or beginner materials to make the sentence easier to read and to show word boundaries.

会議 is pronounced かいぎ.

Breakdown:

• 会 = かい
• 議 = ぎ

So the full sentence is read:

• かいぎ は そろそろ はじまります

In normal writing without spaces:

• かいぎはそろそろはじまります

The casual version is:

• 会議はそろそろ始まる。

The only change is:

• 始まります → 始まる

This is plain style, which is used with:

• friends
• family
• internal thoughts
• informal writing

The meaning stays the same: The meeting will start soon.