empecé
em-peh-SAY
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Empecé a aprender a cocinar hace solo dos semanas.
A1I started learning to cook only two weeks ago.
Cuando me mudé, inmediatamente empecé a buscar trabajo.
A2When I moved, I immediately began looking for work.
Empecé con un café, pero la reunión terminó con una cena formal.
B1I started with a coffee, but the meeting ended with a formal dinner.
💡 Grammar Points
Using 'A' After Starting
When you use 'empecé' (I started) and the next word is an action (a verb), you must connect them using the little word 'a': Empecé a leer (I started to read).
Preterite Tense Function
'Empecé' is used for actions that happened quickly and definitely finished in the past (like a single event). If you were describing a continuous, ongoing beginning, you would use 'empezaba'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Spelling Error: Z vs C
Mistake: "Yo empecé a estudiar."
Correction: Yo empecé a estudiar.
⭐ Usage Tips
Pronunciation Tip
Make sure to emphasize the final syllable: em-peh-SAY. The accent mark over the 'e' is crucial for both writing and pronunciation.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: empecé
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'empecé'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'empecé' have an accent mark?
The accent mark on 'empecé' is essential because it tells you to stress the last syllable (em-peh-SAY). Without the accent, the stress would naturally fall on the second-to-last syllable, changing the word's sound and meaning.
Is 'empecé' the same as 'comencé'?
Yes, they mean the same thing ('I started' or 'I began') and are interchangeable in most contexts. Both verbs ('empezar' and 'comenzar') follow the same z-to-c spelling change rule in the 'yo' preterite form.