🎯
Infinitive (infinitivo)
Base form of the verb
empezar
🏃
Gerund (gerundio)
Present participle (-ing form)
empezando
📋
Past Participle
Used in compound tenses
empezado
Simple Tenses
⚡
Present Indicative (presente de indicativo)
Present actions and habitual activities
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empiezo I begin/start |
tú | empiezas you begin/start |
él/ella/usted | empieza he/she/you begin/starts |
nosotros | empezamos we begin/start |
vosotros | empezáis you all begin/start |
ellos/ustedes | empiezan they/you all begin/start |
🕰️
Imperfect Indicative (imperfecto de indicativo)
Ongoing past actions and descriptions
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empezaba I used to begin/start |
tú | empezabas you used to begin/start |
él/ella/usted | empezaba he/she/you used to begin/start |
nosotros | empezábamos we used to begin/start |
vosotros | empezabais you all used to begin/start |
ellos/ustedes | empezaban they/you all used to begin/start |
📅
Preterit (pretérito)
Completed past actions
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empezé I begin/started |
tú | empezaste you begin/started |
él/ella/usted | empezó he/she/you begin/started |
nosotros | empezamos we begin/started |
vosotros | empezasteis you all begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | empezaron they/you all begin/started |
🔮
Future (futuro)
Future actions and intentions
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empezaré I will begin/start |
tú | empezarás you will begin/start |
él/ella/usted | empezará he/she/you will begin/start |
nosotros | empezaremos we will begin/start |
vosotros | empezaréis you all will begin/start |
ellos/ustedes | empezarán they/you all will begin/start |
🎯
Conditional (potencial simple)
Hypothetical and conditional actions
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empezaría I would begin/start |
tú | empezarías you would begin/start |
él/ella/usted | empezaría he/she/you would begin/start |
nosotros | empezaríamos we would begin/start |
vosotros | empezaríais you all would begin/start |
ellos/ustedes | empezarían they/you all would begin/start |
💭
Present Subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo)
Subjective present actions and desires
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empiece that I begin/start |
tú | empieces that you begin/start |
él/ella/usted | empiece that he/she/you begin/start |
nosotros | empecemos that we begin/start |
vosotros | empecéis that you all begin/start |
ellos/ustedes | empiecen that they/you all begin/start |
🌙
Imperfect Subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo)
Subjective past actions and hypothetical situations
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | empezara or empezase that I begin/started |
tú | empezaras or empezases that you begin/started |
él/ella/usted | empezara or empezase that he/she/you begin/started |
nosotros | empezáramos or empezásemos that we begin/started |
vosotros | empezarais or empezaseis that you all begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | empezaran or empezasen that they/you all begin/started |
Compound Tenses
✅
Present Perfect (perfecto de indicativo)
Actions completed recently or with present relevance
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | he empezado I have begin/started |
tú | has empezado you have begin/started |
él/ella/usted | ha empezado he/she/you have begin/started |
nosotros | hemos empezado we have begin/started |
vosotros | habéis empezado you all have begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | han empezado they/you all have begin/started |
⏪
Pluperfect Indicative (pluscuamperfecto de indicativo)
Actions completed before another past action
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | había empezado I had begin/started |
tú | habías empezado you had begin/started |
él/ella/usted | había empezado he/she/you had begin/started |
nosotros | habíamos empezado we had begin/started |
vosotros | habíais empezado you all had begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | habían empezado they/you all had begin/started |
📍
Preterit Perfect (pretérito anterior)
Actions completed immediately before another past action
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | hube empezado I had begin/started |
tú | hubiste empezado you had begin/started |
él/ella/usted | hubo empezado he/she/you had begin/started |
nosotros | hubimos empezado we had begin/started |
vosotros | hubisteis empezado you all had begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | hubieron empezado they/you all had begin/started |
🎊
Future Perfect (futuro perfecto)
Actions that will be completed by a future time
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | habré empezado I will have begin/started |
tú | habrás empezado you will have begin/started |
él/ella/usted | habrá empezado he/she/you will have begin/started |
nosotros | habremos empezado we will have begin/started |
vosotros | habréis empezado you all will have begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | habrán empezado they/you all will have begin/started |
🔄
Conditional Perfect (potencial compuesto)
Actions that would have been completed under certain conditions
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | habría empezado I would have begin/started |
tú | habrías empezado you would have begin/started |
él/ella/usted | habría empezado he/she/you would have begin/started |
nosotros | habríamos empezado we would have begin/started |
vosotros | habríais empezado you all would have begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | habrían empezado they/you all would have begin/started |
💫
Subjunctive Present Perfect (perfecto de subjuntivo)
Subjective actions completed in relation to the present
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | haya empezado that I have begin/started |
tú | hayas empezado that you have begin/started |
él/ella/usted | haya empezado that he/she/you have begin/started |
nosotros | hayamos empezado that we have begin/started |
vosotros | hayáis empezado that you all have begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | hayan empezado that they/you all have begin/started |
🌌
Subjunctive Past Perfect (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)
Subjective actions completed before another past action
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
yo | hubiera empezado that I had begin/started |
tú | hubieras empezado that you had begin/started |
él/ella/usted | hubiera empezado that he/she/you had begin/started |
nosotros | hubiéramos empezado that we had begin/started |
vosotros | hubierais empezado that you all had begin/started |
ellos/ustedes | hubieran empezado that they/you all had begin/started |
❗
Commands (imperativo)
Commands and direct orders
| Person | Command | English |
|---|---|---|
tú | empieza | begin/start! (you) |
usted | empieze | begin/start! (you formal) |
nosotros | empezemos | let's begin/start! |
vosotros | empezad | begin/start! (you all) |
ustedes | empiezen | begin/start! (you all) |
🚫
Negative Commands (imperativo negativo)
Negative commands and prohibitions
| Person | Command | English |
|---|---|---|
tú | no empiezes | don't begin/start! (you) |
usted | no empieze | don't begin/start! (you formal) |
nosotros | no empezemos | let's not begin/start! |
vosotros | no empezéis | don't begin/start! (you all) |
ustedes | no empiezen | don't begin/start! (you all) |
More About "empezar"
Idiomatic Expressions
empezar por
to start with / to begin by
💡 Indicating the first action or step
empezar de cero
to start from scratch
💡 Beginning again with nothing
para empezar
to start with / first of all
💡 Introducing the first point or reason
empezar con buen pie
to get off to a good start
💡 Beginning something successfully
empezar la casa por el tejado
to put the cart before the horse
💡 Doing things in the wrong order
Examples in Context
La clase empieza a las nueve.
The class starts at nine.
Present
Empecé a trabajar aquí hace dos años.
I started working here two years ago.
Preterite
Voy a empezar un nuevo proyecto.
I'm going to start a new project.
Future Periphrastic
Ha empezado a llover.
It has started to rain.
Present Perfect
Empezaré mañana sin falta.
I will start tomorrow without fail.
Future
Related Verbs
Usage Notes
- •Empezar is a stem-changing verb: e→ie in stressed syllables (empiezo, empiezas)
- •Spelling change in preterite first person: empecé (z→c before e)
- •Completely interchangeable with "comenzar" in all contexts
- •Often followed by "a" + infinitive: empezar a trabajar (to start working)
- •Can also use "por" to indicate what you start with: empezar por el principio
- •Stem change occurs in present indicative, present subjunctive, and imperative
- •Present subjunctive also has spelling change: empiece (z→c before e)
- •Common in time expressions: la película empieza a las 8 (the movie starts at 8)
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