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El tren parte a las ocho.

El tren parte a las ocho.
The train departs at eight.
From Lesson 223:Simultaneous actions (al)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El tren parte a las ocho.

Why use parte instead of sale here? Both mean 'departs' or 'leaves', right?
Yes, both partir and salir can be used for a train, bus, or plane leaving. Sale (from salir) is more common in everyday spoken Spanish, while parte (from partir) sounds a bit more formal or like an official schedule, similar to the difference between 'departs' and 'leaves' in English.
How would I apply this lesson's topic to say 'Upon departing...' using this sentence's verb?
You would use al followed by the infinitive of the verb. Since the verb is partir, you would say al partir (upon departing / when departing). For example: Al partir el tren, los pasajeros saludaron (Upon the train departing, the passengers waved).
Why do we need las in a las ocho? Can't I just say a ocho?
In Spanish, you always need the feminine article when telling time because it refers to a hidden noun: las horas (the hours). So, 'at eight' is always a las ocho. The only exception is one o'clock, which is singular: a la una.
If I wanted to clarify that it's 8:00 PM, how do I add that to the sentence?
You would add de la noche (at night) or de la mañana (in the morning) right after the time. For 8:00 PM, the full sentence becomes El tren parte a las ocho de la noche.

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