La reunión comienza a las cuatro.

The meeting begins at four o'clock.

Breakdown of La reunión comienza a las cuatro.

• la reunión: the meeting
• comenzar: to begin
• las cuatro: the four

Questions & Answers about La reunión comienza a las cuatro.

Why is it la reunión and not el reunión?

In Spanish, every noun has a grammatical gender, masculine or feminine.
Reunión is a feminine noun, so it always uses the feminine article la (singular) or las (plural):

• la reunión = the meeting
• las reuniones = the meetings

You cannot say el reunión; that would be grammatically incorrect.
This gender is arbitrary; you just have to learn that reunión is feminine.

Is reunión a false friend of English reunion?

Yes, it can be.

• Reunión usually means meeting (business meeting, work meeting, gathering).
  • La reunión comienza a las cuatro. = The meeting starts at four.
• English reunion usually means reencuentro in Spanish (people meeting again after a long time).
  • class reunion = reencuentro de la generación or reunión de exalumnos

In practice, reunión in Spanish is much more general and is used for any kind of meeting (work, family, club, etc.), not just a “reunion” in the English sense.

What verb is comienza, and what tense is it?

Comienza is the third person singular (he/she/it) of the verb comenzar in the present tense:

• Infinitive: comenzar = to begin / to start
• Conjugation (present):
  
  • yo comienzo
  • tú comienzas
  • él / ella / usted comienza
  • nosotros comenzamos
  • ustedes / ellos comienzan

In the sentence La reunión comienza a las cuatro, the subject is la reunión (it), so we use comienza.

What’s the difference between comenzar and empezar?

In everyday Latin American Spanish, comenzar and empezar are almost interchangeable:

• La reunión comienza a las cuatro.
• La reunión empieza a las cuatro.

Both are fine and equally common in many regions.
Minor differences:

• Comenzar can sound slightly more formal or written in some contexts.
• Some fixed expressions prefer one verb (for example, many people say empezar a trabajar, but comenzar also works).

For most learners, you can treat them as synonyms.

Could I also say La reunión es a las cuatro?

Yes. La reunión es a las cuatro is also correct and very common.

Subtle difference:

• La reunión comienza a las cuatro.
  Focuses on the starting moment (when it begins).
• La reunión es a las cuatro.
  Focuses on the scheduled time (when it takes place).

In many real situations, people use both without a real meaning difference.

Why is it a las cuatro and not en las cuatro?

When talking about clock time in Spanish, you almost always use the preposition a:

• a las cuatro = at four o’clock
• a las ocho y media = at eight-thirty
• a la una = at one o’clock

You don’t say en las cuatro to mean “at four.”
En with time is used in other ways, for example:

• en la mañana = in the morning
• en 2020 = in 2020

Why do we say a las cuatro (plural las) if it’s just four o’clock?

The las is plural because it refers (implicitly) to las horas (the hours).

Spanish thinks of clock times like this:

• las cuatro (horas) = four hours (have passed in the day) → 4:00
• las tres = 3:00
• las cinco = 5:00

So you say:

• a las cuatro = at four (o’clock)
• a las cinco = at five

The only exception is one o’clock, where the noun is singular:

• a la una (not a las una)

How would I say “The meeting starts at four in the afternoon”?

You add a phrase that specifies the part of the day:

• La reunión comienza a las cuatro de la tarde.

Other common options:

• de la mañana = in the morning
• del mediodía = at noon
• de la tarde = in the afternoon
• de la noche = at night / in the evening

Example:

• La reunión comienza a las ocho de la mañana.
• La reunión comienza a las siete de la noche.

Can I change the word order, like “At four the meeting starts”?

Yes. Both orders are correct:

• La reunión comienza a las cuatro.
• A las cuatro comienza la reunión.

The second version emphasizes the time a bit more, but the meaning is the same. Spanish word order is fairly flexible as long as the subject–verb agreement is correct.

How do I turn this into a question like “What time does the meeting start?”?

Use ¿A qué hora…? for “At what time…?”:

• ¿A qué hora comienza la reunión?
  What time does the meeting start?

You keep the same verb and subject, but:

1. Put ¿A qué hora at the start.
2. Usually place the verb before the subject: comienza la reunión.

You could also say:

• ¿A qué hora empieza la reunión?

How do you pronounce reunión and where is the stress?

Pronunciation tips:

• reunión: reh-oo-NYON (roughly)
  
  • reu- is like “reh-oo” blended into one syllable.
  • -nión has the ñ sound (like “ny” in “canyon”).
• The written accent on ó marks the stressed syllable:
  • reu-NIÓN

So the stress falls on the last syllable: reu-nión.

Is reunión only a business “meeting”?

No, reunión is broader. It can be:

• A work meeting:
  
  • Tuvimos una reunión con el jefe.
• A family gathering:
  
  • Habrá una reunión familiar el domingo.
• A club or committee meeting:
  
  • La reunión del club es mañana.

So La reunión comienza a las cuatro could be work-related or social; context decides.