Spanish Phrase
¿A qué hora empieza el cole?
Meaning
Literally, 'At what time does the school start?'. It is an informal way to ask about the daily start time of a school or class.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to know the start time of a school day, a class, or a tutoring session in a casual conversation with classmates, friends, parents, or teachers.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Aquéhoraempiezaelcole?
¿A qué hora?
Standard interrogative phrase meaning 'at what time?'. It always starts with the preposition 'a' followed by the question word 'qué' and the noun 'hora'.
empieza
Third‑person singular present of the verb 'empezar' (to start). Used here because 'el cole' is a third‑person singular subject.
el cole
Colloquial abbreviation of 'el colegio' (school). Common in informal speech among children, teenagers and young adults.
Question marks
Spanish uses an opening (¿) and closing (?) question mark. Both are required in written Spanish.
🗨In Conversation
¿A qué hora empieza el cole?
What time does school start?
Empieza a las ocho y media.
It starts at eight thirty.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Qué hora empieza el cole?
The preposition 'a' is required before 'qué hora' in this construction.
¿A qué hora empieza el colegio?
While grammatically correct, using 'el colegio' sounds formal; the phrase asked for the informal 'cole'.
¿A qué hora empieza cole?
The definite article 'el' is needed before 'cole'.
¿A qué hora empieza el cole a?
Do not place the preposition after the verb; it belongs before the question word.
↔Alternatives
¿A qué hora comienza el colegio?
What time does school start?
¿A qué hora inicia el cole?
What time does school start?
¿A qué hora abre el cole?
What time does school open?
Cultural Tip
In Spain most primary schools open between 8:00 am and 9:00 am, while secondary schools often start a bit later. The word 'cole' is very informal and is mostly used by children and teenagers; in Latin America you’ll hear 'colegio' more often, and the informal shortcut is rare. Adjust your register accordingly: use 'el cole' with peers, but stick to 'el colegio' in formal settings or with adults you don’t know well.