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La reunión empieza en un minuto.

La reunión empieza en un minuto.
The meeting starts in one minute.
FromLesson 18inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of La reunión empieza en un minuto.

en
in
la reunión
the meeting
empezar
to start
el minuto
the minute
un
one

Questions & Answers about La reunión empieza en un minuto.

Why is the present tense used to talk about a future event?

Spanish often uses the present indicative for near-future, scheduled events. La reunión empieza en un minuto is as natural as English The meeting starts in a minute. Alternatives:

  • La reunión va a empezar en un minuto: planned/near future.
  • La reunión empezará en un minuto: more formal or predictive; also common in announcements.
    All three are correct; the present feels immediate and matter-of-fact.
Should I say en un minuto or dentro de un minuto?
Both are correct and mean in one minute (from now). En un minuto is short and common; dentro de un minuto slightly emphasizes the idea of within/from now. In rapid speech, en un minuto is very typical.
Why is it en with a duration but a with clock times?
  • Use en with durations: en cinco minutos, en una hora.
  • Use a with clock times: a la una, a las cinco.
    So you’d say La reunión empieza en cinco minutos, but La reunión empieza a las cinco.
Does en un minuto mean exactly 60 seconds?
Usually it just means very soon, roughly a minute. Like English give me a minute, Spanish speakers often use un minuto loosely. If you need precision, specify it.
Is empieza irregular? How do I conjugate empezar?

Yes. Empezar is a stem-changing verb (e→ie) and has a spelling change before e:

  • Present: empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezan
  • Preterite yo: empecé (c to keep the soft sound)
  • Present subjunctive: empiece, empieces, empiece, empecemos, empecéis, empiecen
What’s the difference between empezar and comenzar?

They’re near-synonyms. In Spain:

  • Empezar is the most neutral, everyday verb.
  • Comenzar is a touch more formal or literary, but still very common.
    You can say La reunión comienza en un minuto with the same meaning.
Can I use iniciar here?
Yes, but it’s more formal/technical and often transitive: Iniciamos la reunión en un minuto or impersonal/passive: La reunión se inicia en un minuto. For everyday speech, empieza/comienza is more natural.
Why is it La reunión (feminine)?
Because reunión ends in -ión, a pattern that’s typically feminine in Spanish: la reunión, la nación, la canción. Words in -ión also take a written accent on the stressed syllable.
Why does reunión have an accent?
Words ending in a vowel, n, or s are normally stressed on the second-to-last syllable. Reunión is stressed on the last syllable (re-u-nión), so it needs an accent mark to show that irregular stress.
How do I pronounce reunión?
Syllables: re-u-nión. There’s a clear break between re and u (two vowel sounds), and the stress is on nión. In Spain, the final -n is crisp.
Can I change the word order?
Yes. En un minuto empieza la reunión is equally natural and puts slight emphasis on the time. Spanish allows flexible order when the subject is clear.
If I’m the host, how do I say we start in a minute?
Use first-person plural: Empezamos en un minuto or Comenzamos en un minuto. Both sound natural when addressing attendees.
Could I say La reunión está empezando en un minuto?
No. Estar + gerundio describes an action in progress: La reunión está empezando = It’s starting (right now). For the near future use the present (empieza), ir a + infinitivo (va a empezar), or the future (empezará).
Is La reunión se empieza correct?

No. Empezar isn’t used reflexively here. Natural options:

  • La reunión empieza…
  • La reunión se inicia… (with iniciar, the impersonal/passive with se is fine)
  • Damos comienzo a la reunión… (formal)
Does reunión mean an English-style reunion?
Not by default. La reunión is any meeting (work meeting, appointment, session). An English-style reunion (class, family) is typically reencuentro, reunión de antiguos alumnos, reunión familiar, etc., with context.
Could I say en un momento instead of en un minuto?
Yes. En un momento or en un segundo are idiomatic and mean in a moment/in a sec, often less literal than en un minuto. All are common.
Why un minuto and not uno minuto?
Before a masculine singular noun, uno shortens to un: un minuto, un coche. Use uno only when it stands alone: —¿Cuántos faltan? —Uno.
Other natural ways to soften the timing?
  • En unos minutos = in a few minutes
  • En un par de minutos = in a couple of minutes
  • Ahora empezamos = we’re starting now/shortly (context decides how immediate)
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