La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato y el partido empezó enseguida.

Because the sentence refers to a female referee, and árbitra is the standard feminine form of árbitro.

• el árbitro = the male referee / the referee
• la árbitra = the female referee

In modern Spanish, many profession nouns have distinct masculine and feminine forms, and árbitra is a normal, accepted form in Spain.

Hacer + infinitive is a very common Spanish structure meaning to make/cause something to happen.

So:

• hizo sonar el silbato = made the whistle sound
• in natural English, that usually means blew the whistle

If you said el silbato sonó, that would mean the whistle sounded, but it would not clearly focus on the referee as the person causing it.

Literally, it means she made the whistle sound. In context, the natural meaning is she blew the whistle.

Spanish often uses a more literal or causative expression where English uses a specific verb. So even though English usually says blow the whistle, Spanish can say hacer sonar el silbato.

Hizo is the preterite form of hacer for él/ella/usted.

• infinitive: hacer
• preterite: hizo = he/she did / made

The preterite is used because this is a completed action in the past: the referee blew the whistle, and then the match started.

Because empezó describes another completed event in the past.

This sentence narrates a sequence of events:

1. La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato
2. el partido empezó enseguida

The preterite is the normal tense for this kind of finished, one-time action in a story or report.

Usually no, not in this sentence as it stands.

The preterite is used for actions that move the story forward. If you used the imperfect, it would sound more like background or an ongoing situation rather than a specific completed event.

Compare:

• hizo sonar = she blew the whistle / she made it sound

• hacía sonar = she was making it sound / used to make it sound

• empezó = it started
• empezaba = it was starting / used to start

Here, the point is that both actions happened as specific events, so the preterite is the right choice.

Spanish uses definite articles more often than English.

• el silbato = the whistle
• el partido = the match/game

In context, these are specific things: the referee’s whistle and the match being played. Even where English might sometimes leave an article out or phrase things differently, Spanish often includes it naturally.

Enseguida means right away, immediately, or straight away.

In this sentence, it tells you that the match started very soon after the whistle. In Spain, enseguida is a very common everyday adverb.

Yes. Spanish adverbs often have flexible placement.

For example, these are all possible:

• El partido empezó enseguida.
• Enseguida empezó el partido.
• El partido enseguida empezó. — possible, but less natural here

The version in your sentence sounds very natural and neutral.

Spanish often keeps the subject noun when it helps the sentence sound clear and complete.

You could say:

• La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato y empezó enseguida.

But that could momentarily sound as if the referee started something, because empezó could still be linked to the previous subject. By saying el partido empezó, the sentence clearly tells you that the match started.

It is the same word, but the meaning depends on context.

• el partido = the match/game
• el partido político = the political party

In a sports sentence with árbitra and silbato, partido clearly means match.

Yes. In a sports context, pitó can be used.

For example:

• La árbitra pitó y el partido empezó enseguida.
• La árbitra pitó el inicio del partido.

But hizo sonar el silbato is a very transparent, descriptive way to express the action. It may sound slightly more explicit than pitó, because it directly mentions the whistle.

The accent mark shows both stress and distinguishes this form from other possible forms.

• empezó = he/she/it started (preterite)
• empiezo = I start
• empezo without an accent is not the correct standard spelling

The accent tells you the stress falls on the last syllable: em-pe-ZÓ.

Because the stress falls on the first syllable: ÁR-bi-tra.

Spanish spelling rules require a written accent there. The masculine form has it too:

• árbitro
• árbitra

So the accent is not about gender; it is simply part of the correct spelling and pronunciation.

Not completely. Spanish word order is more flexible than English, although the version in the sentence is the most neutral.

Possible alternatives include:

• La árbitra hizo sonar el silbato. — neutral, standard
• Hizo sonar el silbato la árbitra. — possible, but more marked
• El silbato lo hizo sonar la árbitra. — emphasizes the whistle

For most learners, the original order is the safest and most natural one to use.