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Questions & Answers about La reunión ya ha empezado.
Why does this sentence use ha empezado instead of empezó?
In Spain, this is very common when talking about something that happened recently or within a time period that still feels connected to the present.
- La reunión ya ha empezado = the meeting has already started
- La reunión ya empezó = the meeting already started
In many parts of Latin America, the simple past empezó is often used where speakers in Spain would prefer ha empezado.
So for Spanish from Spain, ya ha empezado sounds very natural.
How is ha empezado formed?
It is the present perfect.
It is made with:
- haber in the present: ha
- the past participle: empezado
So:
- ha = has
- empezado = started
Together, ha empezado means has started.
Why is it ha and not es or está?