Conjugation of the Spanish Verbs Empezar and Comenzar

Its a only a coincidence, but the two most common Spanish verbs meaning to begin are irregular in the same way. The verbs are empezar and comenzar. Both are stem-changing verbs, meaning in this case that the e in the stem changes to ie when stressed. Also, in a change related to pronunciation, the z in the ending changes to c when it is followed by an e or i. This combination of conjugation irregularities is unusual. The only other common verbs using the same pattern are tropezar (to bump or run into) and recomenzar (to begin again). Empezar and comenzar are nearly always interchangeable, although the former is more commonly used. A third synonym, iniciar, is also very common and is conjugated regularly. Comenzar is a cognate of the English verb commence. Empezar does not have an English cognate, although it is related to the English words in and piece. Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context. Infinitive of Empezar Empezar (to begin) Gerund of Empezar empezando (beginning) Participle of Empezar empezado (begun) Present Indicative of Empezar yo empiezo, tà º empiezas, usted/à ©l/ella empieza, nosotros/as empezamos, vosotros/as empezà ¡is, ustedes/ellos/ellas empiezan (I begin, you begin, he begins, etc.) Preterite of Empezar yo empecà ©, tà º empezaste, usted/à ©l/ella empezà ³, nosotros/as empezamos, vosotros/as empezasteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas empezaron (I began, you began, she began, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Empezar yo empezaba, tà º empezabas, usted/à ©l/ella empezaba, nosotros/as empezà ¡bamos, vosotros/as empezabais, ustedes/ellos/ellas empezaban (I used to begin, you used to begin, he used to begin, etc.) Future Indicative of Empezar yo empezarà ©, tà º empezarà ¡s, usted/à ©l/ella empezarà ¡, nosotros/as empezaremos, vosotros/as empezarà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas empezarà ¡n (I will begin, you will begin, he will begin, etc.) Conditional of Empezar que yo empezarà ­a, que tà º empezarà ­as, que usted/à ©l/ella empezarà ­a, que nosotros/as empezarà ­amos, que vosotros/as empezarà ­ais, que ustedes/ellos/ellas empezarà ­an (I would begin, you would begin, she would begin, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Empezar que yo empiece, que tà º empieces, que usted/à ©l/ella empiece, que nosotros/as empecemos, que vosotros/as empecà ©is, que ustedes/ellos/ellas empiecen (that I begin, that you begin, that she begin, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Empezar que yo empezara (empezase), que tà º empezaras (empezases), que usted/à ©l/ella empezara (empezase), que nosotros/as empezà ¡ramos empezà ¡semos), que vosotros/as empezarais (empezaseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas empezaran (empezasen) (that I began, that you began, that he began, etc.) Imperative of Empezar empieza tà º, no empieces tà º, empiece usted, empecemos nosotros/as, empezad vosotros/as, no empecà ©is vosotros/as, empiecen ustedes (begin, dont begin, begin, lets begin, etc.) Compound Tenses of Empezar The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, empezado. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, empezando. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Empezar and Similar Verbs Vamos a comenzar a establecer nuestra presencia en là ­nea. (Were going to begin to establish our presence online. Infinitive.) Maà ±ana empiezo la dieta. (Tomorrow I begin my diet. Present indicative.) Ahora es cuando comenzamos a ser conscientes del estado crà ­tico en el que se encuentran nuestros. (Now is when we begin to be aware of the critical state in which we find ourselves. Present indicative.) La clase empezà ³ hace una hora. (The class began an hour ago. Preterite.) Los dos jugadores comenzaron a tener dudas sobre su papel en el equipo. (The two players began to have doubts about their role on the team. Preterite.) Muchos empezaban a sentirse desmotivados. (Many were beginning to feel discouraged. Imperfect.)  ¡Feliz cumpleaà ±os! Espero que empieces un nuevo aà ±o lleno de alegrà ­as y buenos momentos. (Happy birthday! I hope you begin a year full of happiness and good times. Present subjunctive.) Mi mamà ¡ espera que yo comience a comer. (My mother hopes I will begin to eat. Present subjunctive.) Sin duda no pasarà ­an muchos meses antes de que comenzaras a sufrir de dolores musculares. (Undoubtedly not many months passed before you began to suffer from muscular pain. Imperfect subjunctive.) Yo habà ­a empezado a leer la novela unos dà ­as antes. (I had begun to read the novel a few days earlier. Pluperfect.) Estamos comenzando la segunda revolucià ³n cuà ¡ntica. (We are beginning the second quantum revolution. Present progressive.) Empieza pronto tu bà ºsqueda de trabajo. (Begin your job search soon. Imperative.)