/empeˈθaɾ/ ES
/empeˈsaɾ/ MX
Translation
to start, to begin
Word origin
From Vulgar Latin impedire reanalysed, but more reliably from em- plus pieza ('piece'), from Celtic-Latin pettia ('piece, portion'). The notion was 'to begin a piece', that is 'to begin'.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- em- + pettia
- English cognates
- piece
Grammar
Conjugation
Regular spanish-irregular conjugation. Pronouns: yo, tú, él/ella/ud., nos., vos., ellos/uds..
Indicative
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | empiezo | empecé | empezaba | empezaré | empezaría |
| tú | empiezas | empezaste | empezabas | empezarás | empezarías |
| él/ella/ud. | empieza | empezó | empezaba | empezará | empezaría |
| nos. | empezamos | empezamos | empezábamos | empezaremos | empezaríamos |
| vos. | empezáis | empezasteis | empezabais | empezaréis | empezaríais |
| ellos/uds. | empiezan | empezaron | empezaban | empezarán | empezarían |
Subjunctive
| Person | Present | Imperfect (-ra) | Imperfect (-se) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | empiece | empezara | empezase |
| tú | empieces | empezaras | empezases |
| él/ella/ud. | empiece | empezara | empezase |
| nos. | empecemos | empezáramos | empezásemos |
| vos. | empecéis | empezarais | empezaseis |
| ellos/uds. | empiecen | empezaran | empezasen |
Imperative
| Person | Affirmative |
|---|---|
| tú | empieza |
| ud. | empiece |
| nosotros | empecemos |
| vosotros | empezad |
| uds. | empiecen |
Non-finite
- Gerund / present participle
- empezando
- Past participle
- empezado
Examples
, llegues .
The class starts at nine sharp, do not be late.
.
We are going to start with the most urgent item on the agenda.
.
It started to get cold just as we left the building.
, .
Before we begin, I want to thank everyone for being here.
.
My grandfather started playing the piano when he was already old.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(19)Pedro conoce a alguien
2 min read · Core 5000
Alguien que lo haya visto
3 min read · Core 5000
Cinco mil palabras después
3 min read · Core 5000
Cuanto más espero, peor
3 min read · Core 5000
El perro del barrio
3 min read · Core 5000
La nota de Rafa
3 min read · Core 5000
Le hice arreglar el coche
3 min read · Core 5000
Lleva toda la mañana
3 min read · Core 5000
María lleva una hora esperando
3 min read · Core 5000
No creo que sea grave
3 min read · Core 5000
No estoy embarazada
3 min read · Core 5000
Pasen y siéntense
3 min read · Core 5000
Por lo tanto, decidimos
3 min read · Core 5000
Por todas partes
3 min read · Core 5000
Preparando la visita
3 min read · Core 5000
Una organización imposible
3 min read · Core 5000
¡Vaya sorpresa!
3 min read · Core 5000
El primer día de Laura
4 min read · Core 1000
Palabras de cocina
5 min read · Core 1000
Grammar articles
(13)Spanish Cognate Patterns: -ción, -dad, -oso, -mente and the Endings That Hand You Thousands of Words
Conjugating Spanish -ar Verbs in the Present Tense
Spanish Formal Commands: usted and ustedes
The Spanish Infinitive as a Noun and After Prepositions (antes de salir, al llegar)
The Spanish Neuter lo (lo bueno, lo que, lo de)
Spanish Nosotros Commands: the 'Let's...' Form
Spanish Prepositions: de, a, en, con, por, para and the Two Contractions
The Spanish Present Subjunctive: Forms, the Opposite-Vowel Rule, and Practice
Spanish Spelling Traps: b vs v, g vs j, silent h (tubo vs tuvo, gente vs jefe)
Spanish Stem-Changing Verbs: e>ie, o>ue, e>i and the Boot Pattern
How Spanish Builds Verbs: -izar, -ecer, -ificar, -ear (realizar, oscurecer, simplificar)
Spanish Verbal Periphrases: acabar de, llevar, volver a, seguir + verb
Verbs with Prepositions in Spanish (Régimen Preposicional): the Fixed Verb + Preposition Pairs
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empezar: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Spanish word "empezar" (to start, to begin): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 4.