Empezar means to start, to begin. Learn five tenses, then practise each person.
Present: empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezan.
Empezar in the present tense
Use the present for current states, habits and actions. The subject can be omitted when the verb makes it clear.
Vosotros is informal plural you in Spain. Ustedes uses the ellos/ellas form and is the usual plural you in Latin America.
Empezar in the preterite tense
Use the preterite for a completed event in the past, viewed as a whole.
Empezar in the imperfect tense
Use the imperfect for past habits, ongoing situations and background descriptions, without marking their endpoint.
Empezar in the future tense
Use the simple future for what will happen. Spanish also uses this tense for a guess about the present.
Empezar in the conditional tense
Use the conditional for what would happen, a polite request or a hypothetical situation.
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All six persons. Blue, bold forms differ from regular endings, including spelling changes that preserve pronunciation.
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | empiezo | empecé | empezaba | empezaré | empezaría |
| tú | empiezas | empezaste | empezabas | empezarás | empezarías |
| él / ella / usted | empieza | empezó | empezaba | empezará | empezaría |
| nosotros / nosotras | empezamos | empezamos | empezábamos | empezaremos | empezaríamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | empezáis | empezasteis | empezabais | empezaréis | empezaríais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | empiezan | empezaron | empezaban | empezarán | empezarían |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empiezo | I start |
| tú | empiezas | you start |
| él / ella / usted | empieza | he/she starts |
| nosotros / nosotras | empezamos | we start |
| vosotros / vosotras | empezáis | you all (vosotros) start |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | empiezan | they start |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empecé | I started |
| tú | empezaste | you started |
| él / ella / usted | empezó | he/she started |
| nosotros / nosotras | empezamos | we started |
| vosotros / vosotras | empezasteis | you all (vosotros) started |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | empezaron | they started |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empezaba | I used to start |
| tú | empezabas | you used to start |
| él / ella / usted | empezaba | he/she used to start |
| nosotros / nosotras | empezábamos | we used to start |
| vosotros / vosotras | empezabais | you all (vosotros) used to start |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | empezaban | they used to start |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empezaré | I will start |
| tú | empezarás | you will start |
| él / ella / usted | empezará | he/she will start |
| nosotros / nosotras | empezaremos | we will start |
| vosotros / vosotras | empezaréis | you all (vosotros) will start |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | empezarán | they will start |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | empezaría | I would start |
| tú | empezarías | you would start |
| él / ella / usted | empezaría | he/she would start |
| nosotros / nosotras | empezaríamos | we would start |
| vosotros / vosotras | empezaríais | you all (vosotros) would start |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | empezarían | they would start |
Empezar differs from the regular endings in the present, preterite. Changed forms include present: empiezo, empiezas, empieza; preterite: empecé. Highlighted forms include spelling changes that preserve pronunciation as well as irregular stems and endings.
The present forms are empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezan, in the order yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros and ellos/ellas/ustedes.
empecé, empezaste, empezó, empezamos, empezasteis, empezaron. For example, empecé means “I started”.
Empezar differs from the regular endings in the present, preterite. Changed forms include present: empiezo, empiezas, empieza; preterite: empecé. Highlighted forms include spelling changes that preserve pronunciation as well as irregular stems and endings.
The preterite (empecé) presents a completed event; the imperfect (empezaba) gives a past habit or background situation. The English glosses are “I started” and “I used to start”, but context determines the best translation.
The yo forms are empezaré (“I will start”) and empezaría (“I would start”). The full charts above include every person.
Empezar means to start, to begin.
Updated · English prompts, Spanish answers.