Italian Phrase
Lo spettacolo inizia alle otto.
Meaning
The sentence means “The show starts at eight o’clock.” It tells the exact scheduled beginning time of a performance such as a theater play, concert, or TV program.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to inform someone about the start time of an event, when discussing tickets, planning a meet‑up, or confirming a schedule.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lospettacoloiniziaalleotto
Definite article "Lo"
"Lo" is the masculine singular article used before nouns that start with s + consonant, z, ps, gn, or a vowel‑sound; here it precedes "spettacolo".
Noun "spettacolo"
"Spettacolo" is a masculine singular noun meaning “show, performance”.
Verb "inizia"
"Inizia" is the third‑person singular present of "iniziare" (to start).
Time preposition "alle"
"Alle" is the contraction of "a" + "le" and is used to indicate a specific clock time (at the).
Cardinal number "otto"
"Otto" means “eight”. When used with a clock, it implies “eight o’clock”.
🗨In Conversation
A che ora inizia lo spettacolo?
What time does the show start?
Lo spettacolo inizia alle otto.
The show starts at eight.
✕Common Mistakes
Lo spettacolo inizia a le otto.
The preposition and article must be contracted to "alle".
Il spettacolo inizia alle otto.
"Spettacolo" takes the article "lo" because it starts with s + consonant.
Lo spettacolo inizia alle otto le.
When indicating time, the number should be followed by the article "le" (as part of "alle"). Do not add an extra article after "otto".
↔Alternatives
Il concerto inizia alle otto.
The concert starts at eight.
Lo spettacolo prenderà il via alle otto.
The show will kick off at eight.
Lo spettacolo comincia verso le otto.
The show begins around eight.
Cultural Tip
In Italy, theatrical and concert events usually begin exactly at the announced time, so punctuality is expected. For approximate times you can say "intorno alle otto" or "verso le otto". When writing informally, the number 8 can replace "otto", but the spoken form stays the same.