On your marks, get set, get started!
In Spanish, there are three verbs to talk about starting an action: Iniciar, Empezar and Comenzar. Although there are subtle differences that we may talk about in another article, today we are going to talk about the last one we named, the verb Comenzar. Despite sharing etymology with the verb to commence in English, as both come from the Vulgar Latin cominitiare, Comenzar is often used more like the verbs to start or to begin. Although, like its cognate (a nice word to talk about sharing etymology), it also tends to be less commonly used than the verb Empezar, which is considered common or colloquial. Now, shall we begin?
I start to Notice an Irregularity
Of the three verbs we were talking about before, Comenzar and Empezar share not only the meaning (they can be used one or the other without any problem), but also their irregularity. Both verbs have a vowel irregularity and a grammatical irregularity. The first one we are going to see as follows:
- e -> ie, for example: we do not say “Yo comenzo”, we say “Yo comienzo”.
And the second one like this:
- z -> c, when it is followed by an E or I, for example: We do not say “(We) Comenzemos”, but “(We) Comencemos”.
Verbals of Comenzar
If you think of verbs, the first thing that comes to mind are conjugations, but what if I told you that not everything is what it seems? A Verbal, although born from a verb, no longer works in the same way, that’s why they are no longer conjugated! In total there are 3 types of Verbals: the infinitive (used as a noun), the gerund (used as an adverb) and the participle (used as an adjective); let’s see them!
| Verbal | Common use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | comenzar (to start / starting) | Non conjugated / Noun | Comenzar a ejercitarse es difícil | Starting to exercise is difficult |
| Gerund | comenzando (starting) | Adverb/periphrasis | La obra está comenzando | The play is starting |
| Participle | comenzado (started) | Adjective | Esta semana ha comenzado a hacer sol | This week the sun has started to shine |
Comenzar Conjugation: Indicative Mood
Remember those changes we were talking about? In the indicative mood, our first and most common mood, you will be able to observe them in the simple tense. I will leave them highlighted so that it will be easier for you to locate and learn them!
Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Conditional | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future | (start) | (started) | (would start) | (will start) | |
| yo | comienzo | comencé | comenzaba | comenzaría | comenzaré |
| tú | comienzas | comenzaste | comenzabas | comenzarías | comenzarás |
| él/ella/ usted | comienza | comenzó | comenzaba | comenzaría | comenzará |
| comenzará | nosotros | comenzamos | comenzábamos | comenzaríamos | comenzaremos |
| ellos/ella/ ustedes | comienzan | comenzaron | comenzaban | comenzarían | comenzarán |
Examples:
- El público comenzó a aplaudir de la emoción – The audience started to applaud for excitement.
- Comenzaré la universidad este semestre – I will start college this semester.
Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Present Perfect | Preterite Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Conditional Perfect | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (have/has started) | (had started) | (had started) | (would have started) | (will have started) | |
| yo | he comenzado | hube comenzado | había comenzado | habría comenzado | habré comenzado |
| tú | has comenzado | hubiste comenzado | habías comenzado | habrías comenzado | habrás comenzado |
| él/ella/usted | ha comenzado | hubo comenzado | había comenzado | habría comenzado | habrá comenzado |
| nosotros | hemos comenzado | hubimos comenzado | habíamos comenzado | habríamos comenzado | habremos comenzado |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han comenzado | hubieron comenzado | habían comenzado | habrían comenzado | habrán comenzado |
Comenzar Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood
Let’s get a little abstract, let’s talk about the subjunctive mood, that mood with which you can talk about your deepest desires or your craziest hypotheses. Here the irregularity of the verb can be found in all the persons in the present simple tense.
Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present | Imperfect | Imperfect 2 | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | comience | comenzara | comenzase | comenzare |
| tú | comiences | comenzaras | comenzases | comenzares |
| él/ella/usted | comience | comenzares | comenzase | comenzare |
| nosotros | comencemos | comenzáramos | comenzásemos | comenzáremos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comiencen | comenzaran | comenzasen | comenzaren |
Examples:
- Que comenzares a amarme sería un sueño hecho realidad – For you to start loving me would be a dream come true.
- Si comenzáramos puntualmente, no terminaríamos tan tarde – If we started on time, we wouldn’t finish so late.
Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Past Perfect 2 (Pluperfect 2) | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | haya comenzado | hubiera comenzado | hubiese comenzado | hubiere comenzado |
| tú | hayas comenzado | hubieras comenzado | hubieses comenzado | hubieres comenzado |
| él/ella/usted | haya comenzado | hubiera comenzado | hubiese comenzado | hubiere comenzado |
| él/ella/usted | haya comenzado | hubiera comenzado | hubiese comenzado | hubiere comenzado |
| nosotros | hayamos comenzado | hubiéramos comenzado | hubiésemos comenzado | hubiéremos comenzado |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan comenzado | hubieran comenzado | hubiesen comenzado | hubieren comenzado |
Comenzar Conjugation: Imperative Mood
Before you run off to start using this verb, you need to know one last mood. How were you planning to express yourself when you get bossy? I won’t take up too much of your time, the imperative mood has only one verb tense (the present) and few people to boss around, so let’s go.
Imperative Mood’s Conjugations
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| (start/let’s start) | (don’t start/let’s not start) | |
| tú | comienza | no comiences |
| nosotros | comencemos | no comencemos |
| ustedes | comiencen | no comiencen |
Examples:
- No comiences sin mí, por favor – Don’t start without me, please.
- Comiencen a comer, se les va a enfriar la comida – Start eating, your food is going to get cold.
Spanish Verb Comenzar – Quiz/Worksheet
Starting to learn the conjugation of a new verb can be a challenge for some. If learning by doing is your thing, here are a couple of exercises for you! Remember that you can schedule a class with any of our tutors and take this information to a conversational level, believe me, it will be much easier.
1. _______ este año con buen pie, ¿te parece? – Let’s start this year off on the right foot, shall we?
2. Ese personaje muere _______ la película, es injusto –That character dies at the beginning of the film, is unfair
3. He _______ a verte con otros ojos, no eres la misma – I have started to see you with different eyes, you are not the same.
4. Mi hijo _______ clases de natación y su respiración mejoró – My son started swimming lessons and his breathing improved.
5. ¿ _______ pronto la Copa Mundial de Fútbol? – Will the World Cup start soon?
Answers
If you haven’t answered the practice questions yet, what are you doing here? Come back and answer them! If, on the other hand, you have already answered and want to see how you did, welcome! Remember that any mistake you may have doesn’t mean the end of the world, you just have to start practicing more and more!
1. comencemos
2. comenzando
3. comenzado
4. comenzó
5. comenzará
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