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comenzamos

koh-men-THAH-mohsko.menˈθa.mos

“comenzamos” means “we start” in Spanish (present action or habit).

we start, we begin

Also: let's start
Verb (Conjugated Form)A1irregular (e>ie stem-changing in most forms, but not 'nosotros') ar
Three cheerful characters, side-by-side, stepping over a white starting line onto a bright green path, symbolizing the beginning of a journey.
infinitivecomenzar
gerundcomenzando
past Participlecomenzado

📝 In Action

¡La película es a las ocho! ¿Comenzamos a caminar?

A1

The movie is at eight! Shall we start walking?

Cada mañana, comenzamos el día con un café fuerte.

A2

Every morning, we start the day with a strong coffee.

Ahora que todos están aquí, comenzamos la presentación.

A1

Now that everyone is here, we are starting the presentation.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • empezamos (we start/begin (using the most common synonym))
  • iniciamos (we initiate)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • Comenzamos un proyecto – We start a project
  • Comenzamos de cero – We start from scratch

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedcomienza
yocomienzo
túcomienzas
ellos/ellas/ustedescomienzan
nosotroscomenzamos
vosotroscomenzáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcomenzaba
yocomenzaba
túcomenzabas
ellos/ellas/ustedescomenzaban
nosotroscomenzábamos
vosotroscomenzabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedcomenzó
yocomencé
túcomenzaste
ellos/ellas/ustedescomenzaron
nosotroscomenzamos
vosotroscomenzasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedcomience
yocomience
túcomiences
ellos/ellas/ustedescomiencen
nosotroscomencemos
vosotroscomencéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcomenzara
yocomenzara
túcomenzaras
ellos/ellas/ustedescomenzaran
nosotroscomenzáramos
vosotroscomenzarais
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "comenzamos" in Spanish:

let's start→we begin→we start→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: comenzamos

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'comenzamos' to talk about a routine?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
comenzar(to start, to begin) — Verb
el comienzo(the beginning, the start) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The verb *comenzar* comes from the Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre*, a combination of *cum* (meaning 'with' or 'together') and *initiāre* (meaning 'to begin'). It has always retained its core meaning of starting something.

First recorded: Around the 13th century in Spanish.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: começamosFrench: commencer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'comenzamos' the same in the past tense (Preterite) and the present tense (Indicative)?

Yes! This is a common quirk in Spanish. 'Comenzamos' means both 'we start' (Present) and 'we started' (Preterite). You must use context (like time words, e.g., 'ayer' for yesterday) to know which tense is meant.

Why is the 'nosotros' form 'comenzamos' but the 'yo' form is 'comienzo'?

The verb *comenzar* is a 'boot verb' (stem-changing). It changes its vowel (e to ie) in most singular forms and the 'ellos' form, but the 'we' (nosotros) and 'you all' (vosotros) forms are usually regular and do not change the vowel.