How do you say “they start” in Spanish?
“They start” in Spanish is ellos empiezan (or ellas empiezan for an all-female group). The same form is used for ustedes empiezan (“you all start”). Spanish usually drops the subject pronoun, so you will often just hear empiezan.
- Las clases empiezan a las ocho. (The classes start at eight.)
- Ellos empiezan el trabajo mañana. (They start work tomorrow.)
Empezar means “to begin” or “to start.” It is a very common verb, and it is a good example of two irregular patterns at once: a stem change (e to ie) and a spelling change (z to c).
Does empezar mean to start?
Yes. Empezar means “to start” or “to begin.” Its close synonym is comenzar, which has the same stem change and spelling change and can almost always replace empezar. Iniciar is a more formal alternative.
Present tense of empezar
The stressed e in the stem changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. Spanish learners call this a “boot verb” because the changing forms form a boot-shaped group in a conjugation table.
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empiezo | Empiezo a trabajar a las nueve. (I start working at nine.) |
| tú | empiezas | ¿Cuándo empiezas? (When do you start?) |
| él/ella/usted | empieza | La película empieza ahora. (The film starts now.) |
| nosotros/nosotras | empezamos | Empezamos el lunes. (We start on Monday.) |
| vosotros/vosotras | empezáis | ¿Empezáis tarde hoy? (Do you all start late today?) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | empiezan | Ellos empiezan el curso. (They start the course.) |
What is the difference between empieza and empezar?
Empezar is the infinitive, the form you find in a dictionary: “to start.” Empieza is a conjugated form: “he, she or it starts” (or “you, formal, start”). It is also the affirmative tú command (“start!”). You can say Quiero empezar (I want to start) but Ella empieza (She starts).
Preterite tense of empezar
In the preterite, the vowel stays e (there is no stem change), but the yo form changes the z to c before the ending -é. Spanish does not write ze in this position.
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empecé | Empecé a estudiar ayer. (I started studying yesterday.) |
| tú | empezaste | Empezaste muy bien. (You started very well.) |
| él/ella/usted | empezó | Empezó a llover. (It started to rain.) |
| nosotros/nosotras | empezamos | Empezamos tarde. (We started late.) |
| vosotros/vosotras | empezasteis | Empezasteis la cena sin mí. (You all started dinner without me.) |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | empezaron | Empezaron el proyecto en enero. (They started the project in January.) |
Imperfect tense of empezar
The imperfect is fully regular.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empezaba |
| tú | empezabas |
| él/ella/usted | empezaba |
| nosotros/nosotras | empezábamos |
| vosotros/vosotras | empezabais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | empezaban |
Cuando empezaban las vacaciones, viajábamos. (When the holidays started, we used to travel.)
Future and conditional
Both tenses are regular: you add the endings to the full infinitive.
| Subject | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empezaré | empezaría |
| tú | empezarás | empezarías |
| él/ella/usted | empezará | empezaría |
| nosotros/nosotras | empezaremos | empezaríamos |
| vosotros/vosotras | empezaréis | empezaríais |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | empezarán | empezarían |
Ellos empezarán la semana próxima. (They will start next week.)
Present subjunctive
The subjunctive combines both changes: e to ie in the boot forms, and z to c because the endings begin with e.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | empiece |
| tú | empieces |
| él/ella/usted | empiece |
| nosotros/nosotras | empecemos |
| vosotros/vosotras | empecéis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | empiecen |
Espero que empiecen pronto. (I hope they start soon.)
Imperative (commands) of empezar
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | empieza | no empieces |
| usted | empiece | no empiece |
| nosotros | empecemos | no empecemos |
| vosotros | empezad | no empecéis |
| ustedes | empiecen | no empiecen |
Empieza ya. (Start now.) No empieces sin mí. (Do not start without me.)
The z to c change also shows up in other verbs ending in -zar, such as cruzar (crucé) and almorzar (almorcé). To practise commands like these, try our Spanish imperative exercises.
Non-finite forms
- Gerund: empezando (starting). It is regular, which is a helpful contrast with irregular gerunds in Spanish.
- Past participle: empezado (started). Han empezado. (They have started.)
Using empezar in sentences
Empezar a + infinitive
When you say what someone starts to do, you need the preposition a:
- Empiezo a entender. (I am starting to understand.)
- Empezaron a cantar. (They started singing.)
Empezar con / por
- Empezamos con la sopa. (We start with the soup.)
- Empieza por el principio. (Start from the beginning.)
Empezar de cero
- Quiero empezar de cero. (I want to start from scratch.)
Empezar vs comenzar vs iniciar
All three mean “to start”. Empezar and comenzar are interchangeable in most situations, with comenzar sounding slightly more formal in some contexts. Iniciar is more formal still and is often used with processes or events (iniciar una sesión, to log in).
Common mistakes
- Writing empezo or empezé. The preterite él form needs an accent on the o (empezó), and the yo form is empecé.
- Forgetting the stem change in the present: empezo instead of empiezo.
- Applying the stem change to nosotros: the correct form is empezamos, not empiezamos.
- Dropping the a before an infinitive: use empezar a hacer.
FAQ
How do you conjugate the verb empezar? It has a stem change (e to ie) in the present, a z to c spelling change in the yo preterite and in the subjunctive, and regular endings otherwise.
How do you say “they start” in Spanish? Ellos empiezan or simply empiezan.
Is empezar irregular? It is usually classed as a stem-changing verb with a spelling change. Learn its pattern and you can apply it to verbs like comenzar and pensar (stem change) and cruzar (spelling change). For a wider view, see our guide to the most common irregular Spanish verbs.