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El concierto empieza a las nueve.

El concierto empieza a las nueve.
The concert starts at nine.
From Lesson 62:Free time (el concierto, el tenis)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of El concierto empieza a las nueve.

empezar
to begin
nueve
nine
a
at (a time)
el concierto
the concert

Questions & Answers about El concierto empieza a las nueve.

Why is the verb spelled empieza and not empeza?
The dictionary form of the verb is empezar (to start). It is a stem-changing verb, meaning a middle vowel changes when you conjugate it. For the 'he/she/it' form (referring here to the concert), the e changes to ie, making it empieza.
Why do we use las before nueve?
When telling time in Spanish, we always use a feminine word for 'the' because it secretly refers to las horas (the hours). Since nine is more than one hour, we use the plural feminine word las.
If nine o'clock uses las, do all times use las?
Most do, but one o'clock is the exception! Because one is a single hour, you use the singular feminine word la. So, while you say a las nueve for nine o'clock, you would say a la una for one o'clock.
Can I use empieza to say the concert 'is starting'?
Yes. In Spanish, the simple present tense is very flexible. Empieza can mean 'starts', 'is starting', or even 'will start' when talking about scheduled events like this concert.

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