A revisão do carro começa hoje.

A is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

It is used because revisão is a feminine singular noun in Portuguese:

• a revisão = the inspection / the check-up / the service

So A revisão do carro literally means the car’s inspection or the inspection of the car.

In this context, revisão usually means a check-up, inspection, or scheduled service, especially for a car.

For example, in Brazilian Portuguese, fazer a revisão do carro often means taking the car in so a mechanic can check things like:

• oil
• brakes
• tires
• filters
• general condition

So this is not usually review in the English sense of reading something again. In automotive contexts, revisão is more like service or inspection.

Because do is a contraction of de + o:

• de = of
• o = the
• de + o = do

So:

• a revisão do carro = the inspection of the car

Portuguese uses these contractions very regularly:

• de + a = da
• de + os = dos
• de + as = das

You normally would not say de o carro in standard Portuguese; it contracts to do carro.

Portuguese often uses definite articles more than English does.

In English, we might say:

• car inspection
• the car inspection
• inspection of the car

In Portuguese, it is very natural to say:

• a revisão do carro

That article o is part of do and helps make the phrase sound complete and natural in Portuguese.

Começar is the infinitive, meaning to begin or to start.

In the sentence, the verb is conjugated to match the subject:

• A revisão do carro = singular subject
• so the verb is começa = starts / begins

Present tense of começar:

• eu começo
• você/ele/ela começa
• nós começamos
• vocês/eles/elas começam

So A revisão do carro começa hoje means The car inspection starts today.

Because the subject is singular: A revisão.

Even though do carro adds extra information, it is not the subject. The main subject is just:

• A revisão = singular

So the verb must also be singular:

• A revisão ... começa

If the subject were plural, the verb would change:

• As revisões dos carros começam hoje.

The ç is called c-cedilla. It makes the c sound like s before a, o, or u.

So:

• começa is pronounced roughly like ko-MEH-sa

Without the cedilla, ca, co, and cu normally have a hard k sound.

The cedilla appears only before:

• a
• o
• u

That is why you see:

• começa but
• comecei (no cedilla needed before e)
• começo
• começamos

Because that is a very natural place for time expressions in Portuguese.

• A revisão do carro começa hoje.
  = The car inspection starts today.

Portuguese word order is fairly flexible, so you could also say:

• Hoje, a revisão do carro começa.

But the original sentence sounds very normal and neutral. Putting hoje at the end often makes the sentence flow naturally.

Grammatically, começa is present tense, but it can refer to a future event when there is a time marker like hoje.

So in Portuguese, just like in English, the present tense can be used for scheduled or near-future events:

• A revisão do carro começa hoje.
• The car inspection starts today.

This is very common. Portuguese does not always need a separate future form for this kind of meaning.

Yes.

• A revisão do carro começa hoje.
• A revisão do carro vai começar hoje.

Both are natural, but there is a small difference in feel:

• começa hoje sounds a bit more direct and matter-of-fact, often good for schedules or plans
• vai começar hoje emphasizes that it is going to start today

In many everyday situations, both are acceptable.

Usually inspection or service, not necessarily repair.

• revisão = checking, servicing, inspecting
• conserto = repair, fix

So if the car is simply going in for routine maintenance, revisão is the right word. If something is broken and being fixed, conserto may be more appropriate.

For example:

• O carro está na revisão. = The car is in for servicing.
• O carro está no conserto. = The car is being repaired.

English often puts one noun before another:

• car inspection

Portuguese usually does not do that in the same way. Instead, it often uses:

• noun + de + noun
• and very often a contracted article

So:

• revisão do carro = literally inspection of the car

This structure is extremely common in Portuguese:

• a porta da casa = the door of the house
• o motor do carro = the engine of the car
• o nome do professor = the teacher’s name

In Brazilian Portuguese, revisão is pronounced roughly like:

heh-vee-ZOWng or reh-vee-ZOWng, depending on accent

A few helpful points:

• the stress is on the last syllable: -são
• ão is a nasal sound, very common in Portuguese
• the final sound is not exactly like English ow; it is nasalized

A rough breakdown:

• re
• vi
• são

The most important thing is to stress the last part:

• reviSÃO

Normally, no. In standard Portuguese, you would usually keep the article:

• A revisão do carro começa hoje.

Leaving out A would sound incomplete or unnatural in most ordinary contexts.

Portuguese uses articles more regularly than English, especially before common nouns used as subjects.

Carro specifically means car in normal everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

If you wanted a more general word like vehicle, you would use:

• veículo

So:

• A revisão do carro começa hoje. = specifically a car
• A revisão do veículo começa hoje. = the vehicle inspection/service starts today