Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El metro llega al andén cada diez minutos. - The subway arrives at the platform every ten minutes.

Al is the mandatory contraction of a + el (to + the) before a masculine singular noun: llegar al andén = arrive at the platform. You do not contract with other articles: a la, a los, a las. Also, you never contract before the pronoun él: a él, not al (that one is only for the article).

Is the a after llegar the personal a?

No. With llegar, a is the regular preposition meaning “to.” It introduces the destination: llegar a Madrid, llegar al andén. The personal a is used with direct objects that are people, which isn’t the case here.

Why is it llega (present) and not a future form?

Spanish uses the simple present for habitual actions and timetables. El metro llega... means “The metro arrives (on schedule).” You’d use:

Llegará for a specific future occurrence.
Va a llegar for a near-future plan.
Está llegando only if it’s arriving right now.

Could it be llegan instead of llega?

Here the subject is singular (el metro as a service), so llega is correct. If you made the subject plural, you’d use llegan: Los trenes del metro llegan al andén cada diez minutos.

What exactly is an andén? Is it the same as vía or plataforma?

Andén: the platform where passengers wait and board.
Vía: the track (the rails).
Plataforma is understood but not the usual word in Spain for this context. In Spain, say andén.

Why is it cada diez minutos and not singular (cada diez minuto)?

With cada + number, the time unit is plural if the number is greater than one: cada dos/minutos, cada diez minutos. Without a number, it’s singular: cada minuto, cada hora. Note that cada itself never changes.

Can I move cada diez minutos to another position?

Yes. Common options:

El metro llega al andén cada diez minutos.
Cada diez minutos, el metro llega al andén. Word order is flexible; placing the frequency first adds emphasis on “how often.”

Could I use pasa instead of llega?

El metro pasa por la estación/por el andén suggests it goes by (it may or may not stop).
El metro llega al andén implies it reaches the platform to stop and let passengers on/off. Use llega for scheduled arrivals; pasa for movement past a point.

How do I pronounce the sentence in Spain?

Approximate Castilian IPA: [el ˈmetɾo ˈʝeɣa al anˈden ˈkaða ˈdjeθ miˈnutos]. Notes:

ll in llega is usually like English y.
z in diez is θ (like English th in thin) in most of Spain.
Stress: me-TRO, LLE-ga, an-DÉN, ca-da, DIEZ, mi-NU-tos.

Why does andén have an accent?

The accent mark shows the stress is on the last syllable: an-dén. Without it, the default stress would be on the penultimate syllable (an-den), which would be wrong.

Are the nouns masculine or feminine here?

All three are masculine: el metro, el andén, los minutos. Hence al andén (a + el) and diez minutos.

Should metro be capitalized?

In general use, no: el metro. Capitalize only when it’s part of a proper name or brand: Metro de Madrid.

Is llegar a always required with a place?

Yes, use llegar a + lugar to indicate the destination: llegar a casa, llegar al andén. Use llegar en + medio de transporte for means: llegar en metro. For time remaining, you can say llega en diez minutos (“arrives in ten minutes [from now]”).

What’s the difference between cada diez minutos and something like dentro de diez minutos?

Cada diez minutos = every ten minutes (frequency).
Dentro de diez minutos = in ten minutes (one-time point in the future).
Llega en diez minutos can also mean “arrives in ten minutes (from now).”

How do I ask “How often does the metro arrive?” in Spanish?

General: ¿Cada cuánto llega el metro?
With the unit: ¿Cada cuántos minutos llega el metro?

Is there any alternative to cada here, like todos los?

For this meaning with a number, use cada: cada diez minutos. Todos los días/lunes works with days, but todos los diez minutos is not idiomatic.

Could I say al vía instead of al andén?

No. Vía is feminine, so it would be a la vía. But more importantly, vía is the track; for where passengers wait and where the train stops to board, use andén in Spain.

Is a el andén ever acceptable, or must it always be al andén?

It must be al andén. The contraction a + el → al is compulsory before masculine singular nouns (except when El is part of a proper name and you want to keep it distinct, e.g., a El Salvador).

Can I shorten cada diez minutos in writing?

Yes: cada 10 minutos or even cada 10 min. in timetables or signs. In running text, the fully written cada diez minutos is preferred.

Is there any nuance difference between El metro llega al andén and El metro llega a la estación?

Llega a la estación: arrives at the station (general).
Llega al andén: arrives at the platform (more specific, where boarding happens). Use the one that matches the level of detail you want.