Breakdown of La recepcionista abre la oficina a las ocho de la mañana.
la mañana
the morning
de
of
abrir
to open
las
the
la oficina
the office
a
at
ocho
eight
la recepcionista
the receptionist
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Questions & Answers about La recepcionista abre la oficina a las ocho de la mañana.
Why is there no subject pronoun before abre? Shouldn’t we say ella abre la oficina?
In Spanish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. Abre is third-person singular, so it implies ella (“she”) automatically. You could say Ella abre la oficina for emphasis, but in most cases you leave out the pronoun.
How do I know recepcionista here is feminine? Couldn’t it be el recepcionista?
Recepcionista is one of those nouns ending in “-ista” that use the same form for both genders; the article tells you the gender. La recepcionista is a woman, el recepcionista would be a man. The noun itself doesn’t change.
Why do we use la oficina instead of un oficina?
We use the definite article la (“the”) because we’re talking about a specific office (presumably the company’s reception area). If you said una oficina, you’d be referring to any office in general, not necessarily “our” or “that” office.
Why is it a las ocho instead of just las ocho or en las ocho?
When you specify the time at which something happens, Spanish uses the preposition a (“at”). You always say a las ocho for “at eight o’clock.” Saying las ocho alone might work in casual speech (“Ocho en punto”), but the standard structure is a las ocho.
What’s the function of de la mañana here?
De la mañana clarifies that it’s 8 AM and not 8 PM. Spanish divides the day into de la mañana (morning), de la tarde (afternoon), and de la noche (evening/night). So a las ocho de la mañana = at eight in the morning.
Does abre la oficina mean she physically turns a doorknob, or that she “opens for business”?
Context matters. Here it most likely means she “opens the office for business” at 8 AM. If you wanted to say “she physically opens the door,” you’d mention the door (la puerta): abre la puerta.
Could I write La recepcionista a las ocho abre la oficina?
Spanish word order is flexible, but your original sentence (La recepcionista abre la oficina a las ocho de la mañana) sounds most natural. Starting with the time (A las ocho de la mañana, la recepcionista abre la oficina) is also common if you want to emphasize “at eight in the morning.”
Why isn’t there any apostrophe in ocho de la mañana like in English “8 o’clock”?
Spanish doesn’t use the word “o’clock.” You simply say the hour plus the time-of-day phrase. The “de” performs the linking function: “ocho de la mañana.” There’s no need for an apostrophe or special contraction.
Can I shorten ocho de la mañana to 8 AM in writing?
In informal contexts (notes, emails), you might see 8 a. m. or 8 am. But in regular prose or formal writing in Spanish, it’s best to spell it out as a las ocho de la mañana.