Breakdown of L'udienza inizierà in ritardo oggi.
oggi
today
in
in / made of (material)
iniziare
to start
il ritardo
delay
Questions & Answers about L'udienza inizierà in ritardo oggi.
Why is in ritardo used for 'late' here instead of tardi?
If this sentence were in the past tense ('The hearing started late'), which auxiliary verb would iniziare use?
It would use essere, making it l'udienza è iniziata in ritardo. Iniziare changes its auxiliary depending on how it is used. When it takes a direct object (e.g., 'He started the car'), it uses avere. When the subject is the thing that is starting, as in this sentence, it acts intransitively and uses essere. This also means the past participle must agree with the feminine singular subject.
Does udienza mean 'audience' in the sense of a crowd watching a show?
No, udienza is a false friend in that context. It refers to a formal 'hearing' in a courtroom or a formal meeting with an important figure, like an audience with a monarch. To talk about the crowd watching a performance or reading a publication, you should use il pubblico.