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¿Empiezas a jugar ajedrez hoy?

¿Empiezas a jugar ajedrez hoy?
Are you starting to play chess today?
From Lesson 86:Starting actions (empezar a)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of ¿Empiezas a jugar ajedrez hoy?

hoy
today
a
to
empezar
to start / to begin
jugar
to play
el ajedrez
chess

Questions & Answers about ¿Empiezas a jugar ajedrez hoy?

Why do we need the a between empiezas and jugar?
To say you "start doing" an action, Spanish uses the formula empezar a followed by an infinitive verb (the basic, unconjugated form, like jugar). The verb empezar always requires this connecting a before another action.
Why is it spelled empiezas instead of "empezas"?
The verb empezar (to start) is a stem-changing verb. In the present tense, the middle e changes to ie for most forms, including the informal "you" form: tú empiezas. This happens for all forms except nosotros (empezamos).
Don't we normally say jugar al for games? Why is it just jugar ajedrez?
You might remember learning jugar al (like jugar al fútbol). However, in Latin America, people usually drop the al when talking about sports and board games. So, jugar ajedrez is the most natural way to say "play chess" in this region.
How does this translate to "Are you starting" when there's no word for "Are" or "you"?
In Spanish, the "you" is already built into the verb ending of empiezas. Also, Spanish doesn't use helper words like "Do" or "Are" to form questions. You just take the normal statement (empiezas = you start / you are starting) and frame it with question marks.

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