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empezamos

em-peh-SAH-mos/em.peˈsa.mos/

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

we start, we begin

Also: 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

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

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

imperfect

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

preterite

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

subjunctive

present

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

imperfect

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

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "empezamos" in Spanish:

we began→we begin→we start→we 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▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 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.