Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi tía abrió un nuevo negocio de comida.

It translates as "My aunt opened a new food business." In this sentence, "mi tía" means "my aunt," "abrió" is the simple past form of "abrir" (to open), "un nuevo negocio" means "a new business," and "de comida" specifies that the business is related to food.

What does the verb "abrir" mean in this context, and why is it used for starting a business?

In this sentence, "abrir" means "to open" in the sense of launching or starting an operation. Just like in English when we say someone "opened a store" or "opened a restaurant," it indicates that the business began operating, rather than referring to physically opening a door.

Why do we say "negocio de comida" instead of just "negocio"?

The phrase "negocio de comida" uses the preposition "de" (meaning "of" or "related to") to specify that the business deals with food. This tells us that it's a food-related enterprise, which might include a restaurant, food truck, or any other venture in the food industry.

Why is the adjective "nuevo" placed before the noun "negocio" in Spanish, given that adjectives can sometimes follow nouns?

In Spanish, adjectives can be positioned either before or after the noun depending on the emphasis or stylistic choice. In "un nuevo negocio de comida," placing "nuevo" before "negocio" emphasizes that the business is new. While English typically keeps adjectives before nouns, Spanish can be more flexible, and here the inversion adds a nuance of immediacy to the newness of the venture.

What does "tía" mean, and why is it written with an accent mark?

"Tía" means "aunt" in English. It is written with an accent mark over the "i" to indicate the correct pronunciation and to differentiate it from a similar word that might otherwise be read incorrectly. Accent marks in Spanish are important for guiding stress and meaning.

What tense is "abrió" and when is the preterite tense used in Spanish?

"Abrió" is the third-person singular form of the verb "abrir" in the preterite tense. The preterite is used to describe actions that were completed at a definite point in the past. In this sentence, it tells us that the aunt completed the action of opening the business at a specific time in the past.