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Three cheerful characters, side-by-side, stepping over a white starting line onto a bright green path, symbolizing the beginning of a journey.

comenzamos

koh-men-THAH-mohs

Verb (Conjugated Form)A1irregular (e>ie stem-changing in most forms, but not 'nosotros') ar
we start?present action or habit,we begin?present action or habit
Also:let's start?used informally as an invitation or suggestion (e.g., ¡Comenzamos ya!)

Quick Reference

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

💡 Grammar Points

It's the 'We' Form

'Comenzamos' is the action done by 'nosotros' (we). It means 'we start' or 'we begin' right now or as a habit.

No Vowel Change Here

Even though the base verb 'comenzar' usually changes 'e' to 'ie' (like 'yo comienzo'), the 'nosotros' (we) form is regular and keeps the original 'e': 'comenzamos'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up 'We Start' tenses

Mistake: "Using 'comenzamos' when talking about the future, e.g., 'Mañana comenzamos la dieta.'"

Correction: 'Comenzamos' is perfectly fine to use for near future plans in Spanish, even though it's technically the present tense. It works just like English: 'Tomorrow, we start the diet.'

⭐ Usage Tips

Interchangeable with 'Empezamos'

'Comenzamos' and 'Empezamos' are synonyms and are used interchangeably in almost every context. Use whichever you prefer!

✏️ 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

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.