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Questions & Answers about La operación empezó temprano.
Why is it la operación and not just operación?
Spanish often uses the definite article el / la / los / las more than English does.
Here, la operación means the operation. In English, depending on context, you might say either the operation or just operation, but in Spanish the article is usually kept.
Also, operación is a specific noun, so la sounds natural unless you are speaking in a very general or headline-like style.
Examples:
- La reunión empezó temprano. = The meeting started early.
- La clase terminó tarde. = The class finished late.
Why is operación feminine?
Because operación is a feminine noun, so it takes la.
A very useful pattern is that many nouns ending in -ción are feminine:
- la operación
- la conversación
- la situación
- la información
So if you see a noun ending in -ción, it is very often feminine.
Why is it empezó and not empiezó?