Learn Swedish: Börjar sändningen kvart över åtta eller kvart i nio? - Does the broadcast start at a quarter past eight or a quarter to nine?

In English, we usually say 'a quarter past', but in Swedish time expressions, you drop the article 'a' (en) and just say kvart över (quarter past) or kvart i (quarter to).

Why is i used in kvart i nio? Doesn't i mean 'in'?

Yes, i usually means 'in'. However, when telling time in Swedish, i is the preposition used for 'to' or 'before' the hour. So kvart i nio literally translates to 'quarter in nine', but means 'a quarter to nine'. For 'past' the hour, you use över.

How do we know Börjar sändningen is a question if there is no helper verb like 'does'?

In Swedish, you form a question by simply putting the verb first. While English uses a helper verb ('Does the broadcast start?'), Swedish just swaps the subject and the verb: Börjar (Starts) sändningen (the broadcast).

Why does sändningen end in -en?

Sändningen is the definite form ('the broadcast') of the word en sändning (a broadcast). Nouns ending in -ning are almost always 'en' words, so they take -en at the end to mean 'the'.