La feria empieza hoy.

Because Spanish often uses the definite article more than English does. La feria means the fair.

In a sentence like this, Spanish normally includes the article when referring to a specific event that speaker and listener can identify. Saying just feria here would sound incomplete in most normal contexts.

In Spain, feria often means a fair, festival, or local celebration, often with rides, stalls, music, food, and sometimes traditional dress or dancing depending on the place.

It does not usually mean a business trade fair in a basic sentence like this, unless the context makes that clear.

Empezar is the infinitive, meaning to start or to begin.

In the sentence, the verb has to be conjugated because it matches the subject la feria. Since la feria is third person singular, the correct form is empieza:

• empezar = to start
• empieza = it starts / it begins

So La feria empieza hoy literally means The fair starts today.

Because empezar is a stem-changing verb in the present tense. The e in the stem changes to ie in most present-tense forms.

Present tense:

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

Notice that nosotros and vosotros do not have the stem change.

Yes. Comienza from comenzar is also correct and very natural. Both empezar and comenzar mean to begin / to start.

• La feria empieza hoy
• La feria comienza hoy

Both are fine. Empezar is often felt to be slightly more common in everyday speech, but both are standard.

Because in Spanish, just like in English, the present tense is commonly used for scheduled or current events.

La feria empieza hoy means The fair starts today or The fair is starting today depending on context.

Spanish does not need a future tense here. Using the present makes the event sound immediate and natural.

Yes. Hoy is flexible.

Common options:

• La feria empieza hoy
• Hoy empieza la feria
• La feria hoy empieza — possible, but less neutral and more marked

The most neutral version here is La feria empieza hoy.
Hoy empieza la feria is also very common, especially if you want to emphasize today.

A simple Spain Spanish pronunciation guide is:

la FE-ria em-PYE-tha oy in much of Spain

or

la FE-ria em-PYE-sa oy in areas that do not use the th sound

A few useful notes:

• feria has the stress on fe
• empieza has the stress on pie
• in much of Spain, z is pronounced like the th in think
• hoy has a silent h

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb ending already shows the person and number.

In English, you say It starts today.
In Spanish, you can simply say Empieza hoy if the context already makes clear what is starting.

Here, la feria is included as the subject, so there is no need for an extra word like it.

No. Hoy can appear in different positions depending on emphasis.

Examples:

• La feria empieza hoy = neutral
• Hoy empieza la feria = emphasizes today
• La feria empieza hoy, no mañana = contrasts today with another day

Spanish word order is more flexible than English, though some choices sound more natural than others.

Usually no, not in standard Spain Spanish in a basic context. Feria normally suggests a fair or festival, not an everyday market.

For market, Spanish more often uses mercado.

So:

• La feria empieza hoy = The fair/festival starts today
• El mercado empieza hoy would be unusual unless talking about a special organized market event

You would make both the noun and the verb plural:

• Las ferias empiezan hoy = The fairs start today

Changes:

• la → las
• feria → ferias
• empieza → empiezan

Yes, if the context already makes it clear what you are talking about.

For example, if everyone already knows you mean the fair, Empieza hoy is perfectly natural and means It starts today.

But if there is no clear context, Spanish usually includes the subject noun to avoid ambiguity.