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Son las seis, empieza a oscurecer y eso me desespera.

Son las seis, empieza a oscurecer y eso me desespera.
It is six o'clock, it is starting to get dark, and that drives me to despair.
From Lesson 456:Intensive framing (con lo)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Son las seis, empieza a oscurecer y eso me desespera.

Why is "eso" used here instead of "ese" or "esa"?
Eso is a neuter pronoun. You use it when referring to an abstract idea, a general situation, or an entire previous statement rather than a specific masculine or feminine noun. Here, it refers to the whole situation of it being six o'clock and starting to get dark.
Why is it "empieza a oscurecer" and not just "empieza oscurecer"?
The verb empezar (to begin or start) always requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb. This forms a common verbal phrase used to indicate the beginning of an action.
How is the word "oscurecer" formed?
Oscurecer (to get dark) is formed from the adjective oscuro (dark). In Spanish, you can often create verbs that describe a change of state by adding the suffix -ecer (and sometimes a prefix like en-) to an adjective. Other B2-level examples include enriquecer (to get rich) from rico, or enrojecer (to turn red) from rojo.
Does "desesperar" mean "to make someone desperate"?
Yes, or more naturally, "to drive someone to despair" or "to make someone lose patience." Desesperar is used here transitively, meaning the situation is acting on you (me). If you wanted to describe your own internal reaction ("I am becoming desperate"), you would use the reflexive form desesperarse, as in me desespero.
How could I add this lesson's "con lo + adjective + que" structure to this sentence to emphasize my frustration?
You could easily attach a phrase like con lo temprano que es (considering how early it is) to the end of the sentence. The full thought would be: Son las seis, empieza a oscurecer y eso me desespera, con lo temprano que es. This uses intensive causal framing to highlight exactly why the darkness is driving you crazy.

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