Breakdown of Mi vuelo a Madrid sale a las nueve de la mañana.
mi
my
la mañana
the morning
de
of
a
to
Madrid
Madrid
las
the
salir
to leave
a
at
el vuelo
the flight
nueve
nine
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Questions & Answers about Mi vuelo a Madrid sale a las nueve de la mañana.
What does sale mean in this sentence?
sale is the third-person singular present form of the verb salir, which means “to leave” or “to depart.” Here it means “departs” or “leaves.”
Why is the verb in the present tense when the event is in the future?
Spanish often uses the present tense for scheduled or timetabled events, much like English (“The train leaves at 5”). So Mi vuelo sale… literally “My flight leaves…” even if it’s tomorrow or next week.
Why do we say a las nueve instead of just nueve?
When telling time in Spanish, you use the preposition a plus the definite article las (feminine plural because hora is feminine) and the hour. So a las nueve means “at nine o’clock.”
Why is it de la mañana rather than por la mañana or en la mañana?
- de la mañana (or de la tarde, de la noche) specifies an exact time of day (e.g., 9 AM).
- por la mañana means “during the morning” (a general period).
- en la mañana is less common for clock times and often means “in the morning” in a broader sense.
Why is there an a before Madrid?
Spanish uses the preposition a to indicate direction or destination. So vuelo a Madrid means “flight to Madrid.”
Why is it mi vuelo instead of el mi vuelo or el vuelo mío?
- Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su) replace the article, so you never say el mi vuelo.
- You can say el vuelo mío, but that stressed form is less natural here. Mi vuelo is the normal way to say “my flight.”
Can you omit de la mañana and still be correct?
Yes, if context makes it clear (e.g., you’re only talking about morning flights), or if you use the 24-hour clock (09:00). But without de la mañana, listeners might wonder if it’s 9 AM or 9 PM.
How would you ask someone in Spanish, “What time does your flight to Madrid leave?”
You can say:
¿A qué hora sale tu vuelo a Madrid?
Literally: “At what time does your flight to Madrid leave?”
Could you use parte or despega instead of sale for an airplane?
- parte (from partir) also means “to depart” and works for planes, trains, buses.
- despega (from despegar) specifically means “to take off” (when the airplane lifts off the runway).
- sale is the most general “leaves/departs.”