A couple of questions.. mainly grammar!
Hey there, I have a bunch of questions... I'll be really grateful for any answers I get. Thanks in advance. :)

- '[KONSAATO WA] san-ji ni hajimarimasu'
hajimarimasu? i'm completely lost... what's the difference between hajimeru and hajimaru? according to this online dictionary, they are the same... could 'san-ji ni hajimemasu' be used then? are they any different?

- 'sannen mo TENISU wo shiteimasu'
I'm kinda confused by 'shiteimasu' here... I thought the '-te iru' form was used for a continuing action, as the english '-ing', but here it's used as 'BEEN doing'.

- 'sono kissaten no koohii wa oishii desu'
why 'sono' instead of 'ano' ?
isn't 'sono' used for something close to the listener? the context from this sentence is two people deciding which coffee shop to go to, so neither of them is close to the shop.

That's it! MANY thanks in advance, because this seems like one tedious question (actually a bunch of them) haha...

Question

A couple of questions.. mainly grammar!
Hey there, I have a bunch of questions... I'll be really grateful for any answers I get. Thanks in advance. :)

- '[KONSAATO WA] san-ji ni hajimarimasu'
hajimarimasu? i'm completely lost... what's the difference between hajimeru and hajimaru? according to this online dictionary, they are the same... could 'san-ji ni hajimemasu' be used then? are they any different?

- 'sannen mo TENISU wo shiteimasu'
I'm kinda confused by 'shiteimasu' here... I thought the '-te iru' form was used for a continuing action, as the english '-ing', but here it's used as 'BEEN doing'.

- 'sono kissaten no koohii wa oishii desu'
why 'sono' instead of 'ano' ?
isn't 'sono' used for something close to the listener? the context from this sentence is two people deciding which coffee shop to go to, so neither of them is close to the shop.

That's it! MANY thanks in advance, because this seems like one tedious question (actually a bunch of them) haha...

Answer

1. Hajimeru and Hajimaru.
Hajimeru is a transitive verb. You need an object.  (concert) wo hajimeru. Somebody starts a concert.
Hajimaru is an intransitive verb. (concert) ga hajimaru. The concert begins.

2. Tenisu wo shite iru.
This sentence can be.. be playing tennis right now. or play tennis habitually.
In order to clarify the meaning, we need something more.
Sannen mo tenisu wo shite imasu. I have been playing tennis for three years.
Ima tenisu wo shite imasu. I'm playing tennis right now.

3. Sono and Ano
Sono is close to the listener MENTALLY. Ano is far from both speaker and listener MENTALLY.
ex): Ano hito wa dare desuka? :Sono hito wa watashi no chichi desu.
    Who is that person?. That (person you mentioned) is my father.
 already mentioned the person.  can use sono, because this means the person whom  has conceived is inside in the 's mind.
You can also answer "Ano hito wa watashi no chichi desu." if both person are looking at same person.
In this case B is not referring the person in A's mind, but referring the person directly.
But if B is not looking at the person. B can only use 'sono'.
ex)  watahi wa kinou daitouryo ni aimashita.  sono hito wa watashi no chichi desu.
Yesterday I met the president. That is my father.
'sono hito' means the person inside A's mind. And B didn't see him. So it's closer to A. 
In this case, B should use 'sono'.

Answer

I'd like to add one thing about "sono". It is generally used to refer to something close; HOWEVER, it can also be used for something that was talked about, or referred to, previously. So near or far, "sono" can be used if the object referred to is referenced previously.

E.g.
The conversation takes place in Tokyo, far away from Hokkaidoo)
A: Konomae Hokkaidoo ni aru kissaten ni iki mashita. (A while ago, I went to a cafe in Hokkaido).
B: Sono kissaten no koohii wa dou deshitaka (How was the coffee of "that" cafe?)

Here, it's wrong to say "ano" kissaten. (ano is only used to mean "that" if the object referred to is NOT referenced previously).

I hope this clears up your doubt.

Answer

KONSAATO WA] san-ji ni hajimarimasu'＝The concert starts at three o'clock.
hajimeru＝I start.←When I do　　hajimaru＝It starts.←When something or someone does

'sannen mo TENISU wo shiteimasu'
The Japanese also often misunderstands these sentences：）This is difficult.

sono kissaten no koohii wa oishii desu'
It is possible to talk in Japan even if SONO and ANO either are used.

Answer

- 'sono kissaten no koohii wa oishii desu'

sorry but i only have 1 answer
sono is used for things fairly close to you
its like koko (here), soko (there), asoko (over there)
say for example, you were outside or across the street talk about that coffee
you would use ano