A audiência começa às nove.

The hearing starts at nine.

Breakdown of A audiência começa às nove.

• começar: to start
• às: at
• nove: nine
• a audiência: the hearing

Questions & Answers about A audiência começa às nove.

Why does the sentence start with A audiência instead of just Audiência?

In Portuguese you almost always need an article (o / a / os / as) before a singular, countable noun, even when English might omit the or a.

• A audiência = the hearing / the audience
• Uma audiência = a hearing / an audience

So A audiência começa às nove corresponds to The hearing starts at nine.
Leaving out the article (Audiência começa às nove) sounds wrong in standard Portuguese.

Is audiência feminine or masculine, and how can I tell?

Audiência is feminine: a audiência, uma audiência, esta audiência.

Many nouns ending in -ência are feminine, for example:

• a ciência – science
• a paciência – patience
• a conferência – conference

This ending is not a 100% rule, but it’s a strong tendency. You normally learn the gender of each noun together with its article, e.g. a audiência.

What exactly does audiência mean here? Is it "hearing" or "audience"?

In European Portuguese, a audiência can mean:

1. A legal hearing or formal meeting:

   • A audiência começa às nove. – The (court) hearing starts at nine.

2. A formal audience with an important person (e.g. a minister, the president, the pope).

For audience in the sense of “group of people watching a show”, Portuguese more commonly uses:

• o público – the audience (general)
• a plateia – the audience in a theatre or concert hall

So in your sentence, context will usually suggest a legal hearing or formal appointment, not a theatre audience.

How do you pronounce A audiência começa às nove in European Portuguese?

Approximate pronunciation (European Portuguese):

• A – [ɐ] (roughly like the a in about)

• audiência – [aw.di.ˈẽ.sjɐ]

  • au = like ow in how
  • di = dee
  • ên = nasal en (like French bien, but with e)
  • cia = roughly see-uh, but very reduced at the end

• começa – [ku.ˈmɛ.sɐ]

  • stress on mé
  • ç = s sound

• às – [aʃ] (sounds like ash, but the vowel is short; final s often like English sh)

• nove – [ˈnɔ.vɨ]

  • ó as in British not
  • final e is a very reduced sound [ɨ], similar to a very weak uh.

Very rough English-like approximation:
A audiênssia kumÉssa ash NÓ-vuh

Why is it começa and not another form like começar or começo?

Começar is the infinitive: to start / to begin.
In the sentence you need the present tense, 3rd person singular, because the subject is a audiência (it):

• eu começo – I start
• tu começas – you start (singular, informal)
• ele / ela / você começa – he / she / you (formal) start
• a audiência começa – the hearing starts

So começa is the correct form to match the subject a audiência in the present tense.

Começar alone would be like saying “to start at nine”, not a full sentence.
Começo às nove would mean “I start at nine”.

What is às here, and why does it have an accent?

Às is a contraction of:

• a (preposition “to / at”)
• as (definite article, feminine plural “the”)

With hours in Portuguese, the understood noun is horas (feminine, plural):

• às nove (horas) = at the nine (hours) → at nine o’clock

The accent distinguishes às from:

• as – just the article “the” (fem. plural), with no preposition
• há – a form of the verb haver (e.g. há dois anos – two years ago / there has been for two years)

So às nove specifically means at nine (o’clock).

Why is it às nove and not às nove horas?

You can say às nove horas, but in everyday speech Portuguese almost always drops horas because it’s obvious from context:

• A audiência começa às nove. – most natural
• A audiência começa às nove horas. – correct, a bit more formal/emphatic

The only time you must show singular/plural is when it matters:

• à uma (hora) – at one o’clock (singular)
• às duas (horas) – at two o’clock (plural)

But even there, horas is usually omitted: à uma, às duas.

Can I change the word order to put the time first, like in English "At nine, the hearing starts"?

Yes. Both are correct:

• A audiência começa às nove.
• Às nove, a audiência começa.

Putting Às nove first can slightly emphasise the time, but both orders are very natural in Portuguese. Word order is quite flexible with time expressions.

Could I drop A audiência and just say Começa às nove?

Yes, if the subject is already clear from context.

Portuguese often drops the subject pronoun (eu, tu, ele, etc.), and sometimes also a known noun, when it’s obvious what you’re talking about:

• A audiência foi adiada. Começa às nove.
  The hearing was postponed. (It) starts at nine.

But as a complete standalone sentence, A audiência começa às nove is clearer, especially in writing or when there could be confusion about what is starting.

How would I say "The hearing starts at nine sharp" or "around nine" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

To say at nine sharp:

• A audiência começa às nove em ponto.
  – literally “at nine on the dot”

To say around nine:

• A audiência começa por volta das nove.
• A audiência começa cerca das nove. (less common in speech)

Note the changes:

• por volta das nove – around nine (literally “around of-the nine”)
• às nove em ponto – “at nine on the dot”