Learn Italian: Quando inizia il lavoro oggi? - When does work start today?

Italian doesn't use helper words like "do" or "does" to make questions. You simply put the question word (Quando), followed by the verb (inizia), and then the subject (il lavoro). Literally, the sentence is "When starts the work today?".

Why does it say il lavoro (the work) instead of just lavoro?

In Italian, nouns almost always need a definite article (like il, la, or lo) when they are the subject of a sentence, even if we wouldn't use "the" in English. So "work" becomes il lavoro.

Why is the verb inizia and not inizio?

The verb must match the subject, which is il lavoro (the work). Because "the work" is an "it", we use inizia, which is the "he/she/it" form of the verb iniziare (to start). Inizio would mean "I start".

Does oggi have to go at the very end of the sentence?

Not necessarily! Italian word order is quite flexible. You could also say Quando inizia oggi il lavoro? or even Oggi quando inizia il lavoro?, but putting the time word at the end is the most common and natural way to ask.