Inklingo
Dictionary

empezamos

em-peh-SAH-mosem.peˈsa.mos

“empezamos” means “we start” in Spanish (present action).

we start, we beginAlso: we started, we began

Verb (Conjugated Form)A1irregular (stem-changing base verb) ar
A simple storybook illustration showing three stylized figures standing shoulder-to-shoulder just behind a bright yellow starting line marked on a grassy field, indicating that they are about to begin an activity.
infinitiveempezar
gerundempezando
past Participleempezado

📝 In Action

Si todos están listos, empezamos ahora mismo.

A1

If everyone is ready, we are starting right now.

Empezamos a estudiar español hace tres meses.

A2

We started studying Spanish three months ago.

Cada mañana, empezamos el día con un café.

A1

Every morning, we begin the day with a coffee.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • comenzamos (we start/began)
  • iniciamos (we initiate/initiated)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • Empezamos con – We start with (something)
  • Empezamos a trabajar – We start working

Indicative

Present

yoempiezo
túempiezas
él/ella/ustedempieza
nosotrosempezamos
vosotrosempezáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempiezan

Imperfect

yoempezaba
túempezabas
él/ella/ustedempezaba
nosotrosempezábamos
vosotrosempezabais
ellos/ellas/ustedesempezaban

Preterite

yoempecé
túempezaste
él/ella/ustedempezó
nosotrosempezamos
vosotrosempezasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempezaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yoempiece
túempieces
él/ella/ustedempiece
nosotrosempecemos
vosotrosempecéis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempiecen

Imperfect Subjunctive

yoempezara/empezase
túempezaras/empezases
él/ella/ustedempezara/empezase
nosotrosempezáramos/empezásemos
vosotrosempezarais/empezaseis
ellos/ellas/ustedesempezaran/empezasen
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "empezamos" in Spanish:

we beganwe beginwe startwe started

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: empezamos

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly suggests a group action, meaning 'Let's start!'?

📚 More Resources

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

The verb 'empezar' comes from the older Spanish word 'empecer,' which itself evolved from Vulgar Latin *impetiare, meaning 'to put on foot' or 'to initiate.' The idea has always been related to setting something in motion.

First recorded: Around the 13th century in Spanish.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: empeçar

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if 'empezamos' means 'we start' (present) or 'we started' (past)?

You must look at the time markers in the sentence. If the sentence uses words like 'ayer' (yesterday) or 'la semana pasada' (last week), it means 'we started.' If it uses 'hoy' (today) or 'siempre' (always), it means 'we start.'

Why does 'empezar' change spelling in other forms (like 'empiezo') but not in 'empezamos'?

The verb 'empezar' is a stem-changing verb (E changes to IE), but in Spanish, the 'we' (nosotros) form is almost always regular and does not undergo the stem change. It keeps the original 'e' sound.