Inklingo
Dictionary

comenzamos

koh-men-THAH-mohsko.menˈθa.mos

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

we start, we beginAlso: 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

Indicative

Present

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

Imperfect

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

Preterite

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

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

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

Imperfect Subjunctive

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

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "comenzamos" in Spanish:

let's startwe beginwe 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
llegamostrabajamos
📚 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.