"Usted empezó a hablar."

Translation: You started speaking.

[stfods]

"A" is almost impossible to hear if you don't know it's there :)

[Klgregonis]

January 20, 2014
Yes - but that is actually true of your native language as well. You only really hear some of the words of a sentence, and fill in the rest because you know the language. One of the reasons understanding a new language is so hard is because you don't know all those little words that are part of the grammar and are listening for EVERYTHING.
And I missed this again the second time, because I don't have it deep in my head yet.

[AtaraxianSpa]

Normally similar vowel sounds at the beginning and ending of words link together as one sound. An interesting example can be heard at
http://studyspanish.com/pronunciation/linking1.htm
where "Busca a Antonio" gets pronounced BUS-CAN-TO-nio. But if you listen to the Peruvian speaker, he stretches out the a in CAN.

But with a hablar, we have two stressed a's together, and stressed syllables normally get separated. One example
http://www.forvo.com/search/a%20hablar/
has the stressed a being enlongated and stress also being applied to the second syllable of hablar, although that may be simply because it was the last syllable of the "sentence".

[Mtta208]

I just played the normal speed 5x and still don't think it actually is there. Only on slow speed is it there.

[plauben]

why do you need the "a"

[rspreng]

is some expressions, some verbs require a specific preposition. "empezar a" + infinitive, to begin to do, is such an expression. Just gotta have the "a" I some cases you'd think you need the "a" but you don't, as "mirar" which means "to look at"

[Sallyann_54]

Is there any rule for this or is it a question of learning each verb?

[swingophelia]

Try this: http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/courses/VRBSPREP.HTM

[AlanProbando]

Thanks, swingophelia.

[elmailderamiro]

i think there isn´t, verb by verb

[holly.k.ma]

Would this also be like " you started to say "??

[neiht20]

No not quite because "to say" would be "decir".

[Talca]

Also accepted: You began to speak.

[jack.george]

could not understand empezo until i got it wrong and listened again, very difficult as have several other oral presentations been,

[pigsear]

Does the pronunciation of the second word have a T sound at the beginning of the second syllable? I certainly cannot hear any P sound in the voice over.

[neiht20]

The VoiceOver can be a bit glitchy, it's not always a very reliable program to listen to. It pronounces "hablar" as "haUblar", it's weird... The word "empezó" should be pronounced like ehmp-pay-ssO. The there shouldn't be a "t" sound anywhere in that word.

[MrHalfpenny]

Actually the ó means the emphasis is at the end of the word.

[AtaraxianSpa]

Yep, the computer voice isn't stressing the right syllable here
http://www.forvo.com/search/empez%c3%b3/

[GuitarGreen]

Is this a Spanish idiom? Like "You were saying?"

[Gary878157]

The "a" is there now. However i have listened to other examples where short words cannot be heard.

[Amanns]

Speaking about what? 0.o