Las vacaciones anuales empiezan en agosto.

In Spanish, vacaciones is normally used in the plural to mean vacation/holidays.

So:

• las vacaciones = the vacation / the holidays
• me voy de vacaciones = I’m going on vacation

A singular form, vacación, exists but is not the normal everyday word for this meaning. In Spain especially, learners should get used to vacaciones as the standard form.

Spanish often uses the definite article more than English does.

So las vacaciones anuales literally looks like the annual holidays, even though in natural English you might simply say annual vacation or the annual vacation depending on context.

In Spanish, las sounds normal here because we are talking about a known or general set of holidays.

In Spanish, most adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• vacaciones anuales = annual holidays

This is the most neutral, standard order.

If an adjective comes before the noun in Spanish, it often changes the tone, emphasis, or style. But here, anuales after the noun is the normal choice.

Because adjectives in Spanish must agree with the noun they describe.

Here:

• vacaciones is plural
• so the adjective must also be plural

That gives:

• singular: anual
• plural: anuales

Also, vacaciones is feminine plural, but anual/anuales has the same form for masculine and feminine:

• vacación anual
• vacaciones anuales
• viaje anual
• viajes anuales

Because the subject is las vacaciones anuales, which is third person plural.

The verb empezar means to begin / to start. Its present tense forms include:

• yo empiezo
• tú empiezas
• él/ella empieza
• nosotros empezamos
• vosotros empezáis
• ellos/ellas empiezan

Since las vacaciones anuales is plural, Spanish uses empiezan:

• Las vacaciones anuales empiezan... = The annual holidays begin...

This is a stem-changing verb.

In many present-tense forms, the e in empezar changes to ie:

• empiezo
• empiezas
• empieza
• empiezan

But not in nosotros and vosotros:

• empezamos
• empezáis

So empiezan follows a common Spanish pattern. Many learners ask about this because it does not happen in English verbs.

Yes. Empezar and comenzar both mean to begin / to start.

So these are both correct:

• Las vacaciones anuales empiezan en agosto.
• Las vacaciones anuales comienzan en agosto.

In many situations, empezar is a little more common in everyday speech, but both are standard and natural.

In Spanish, months are usually used without an article after en.

So:

• en agosto = in August
• en enero = in January
• en mayo = in May

This matches the normal Spanish pattern for months.

You may sometimes see an article in other contexts, but in a sentence like this, en agosto is exactly what you would expect.

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable, but it sounds a bit formal or administrative.

In everyday conversation, people in Spain might more often say simply:

• Las vacaciones empiezan en agosto.

If the idea of annual matters, for example in a workplace or official context, vacaciones anuales works well.

So:

• vacaciones = very natural in everyday speech
• vacaciones anuales = natural, but more formal or specific

Yes. In English, begin and start are often very similar, and Spanish empezar can cover both ideas.

So:

• Las vacaciones anuales empiezan en agosto could be translated as
  • The annual holidays begin in August
  • The annual vacation starts in August

The best English version depends on style and context, not on a difference in the Spanish.

In standard Peninsular Spanish, the z is pronounced with the th sound of English thin.

So in Spain:

• empiezan sounds roughly like em-PYE-than

In most of Latin America, that z is pronounced like an s:

• roughly em-PYE-san

Since you asked about Spanish from Spain, the th pronunciation is the one learners usually aim for.

In Spanish, the names of months are normally written with lowercase, not capitals.

So:

• agosto
• septiembre
• diciembre

This is different from English, where we write August, September, and December with capital letters.

It can do either, depending on context.

Las vacaciones anuales can mean:

• a specific annual holiday period already known in the conversation, or
• the yearly holidays in a general sense

Spanish often lets context do the work here. The sentence by itself is broad and general, but in real life it could easily refer to a specific company schedule, school break, or usual family holiday period.