Empezar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Empezar in Spanish

Empezar means “to start” or “to begin.” You will learn its e → ie present change, the spelling change z → c before e, and the common construction empezar a + infinitive.

Empezar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Empezar uses e → ie in stressed present forms such as empiezo — “I start.” It also changes z → c before e, producing empecé — “I started” — and empecemos — “that we start.”

Empezar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle remains invariant.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	empezar	to start
Gerund	empezando	starting
Past participle	empezado	started

Empezar meaning and essential uses

Empezar — “to start / begin” — can be transitive: Empiezo el trabajo ahora. — “I start the work now.” It can also be intransitive: La clase empieza a las nueve. — “The class starts at nine.”

Before another verb, use empezar a + infinitive — “to start doing something”: Empiezo a estudiar. — “I start studying.”

Empezar irregular conjugation patterns

The stressed present forms use empiez-: empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empiezan — “I start, you start, he/she starts, they start.” The nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras forms keep empez-.

Because Spanish spelling does not normally use z before e, the verb changes z → c in forms such as empecé — “I started” — and empecemos — “that we start.” The present subjunctive combines this spelling rule with the stem-change pattern: empiece — “that I start” — but empecemos — “that we start.”

Empezar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Empezar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current actions, habits, facts, and contextually near-future events. Stressed forms use empiez-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras keep empez-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empiezo	I start
Tú — you, singular informal	empiezas	you start
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empieza	he / she starts; you start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezamos	we start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezáis	you start (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empiezan	they start; you start (plural)

• Empiezo a trabajar a las ocho. — I start working at eight.

Empezar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The first-person singular is empecé — “I started,” with z → c before e; the remaining preterite endings are regular.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empecé	I started
Tú — you, singular informal	empezaste	you started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empezó	he / she started; you started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezamos	we started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezasteis	you started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empezaron	they started; you started (plural)

• Ayer empecé un libro nuevo. — Yesterday I started a new book.

Empezar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. It uses the regular -AR imperfect endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empezaba	I used to start / was starting
Tú — you, singular informal	empezabas	you used to start / were starting
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empezaba	he / she used to start / was starting; you used to start / were starting (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezábamos	we used to start / were starting
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezabais	you used to start / were starting (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empezaban	they used to start / were starting; you used to start / were starting (plural)

• Antes la clase empezaba más tarde. — The class used to start later.

Empezar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus empezando — “starting.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy empezando	I am starting
Tú — you, singular informal	estás empezando	you are starting
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está empezando	he / she is starting; you are starting (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos empezando	we are starting
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis empezando	you are starting (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están empezando	they are starting; you are starting (plural)

• Estamos empezando la reunión. — We are starting the meeting.

Empezar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and empezar — “to start.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a empezar	I am going to start
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a empezar	you are going to start
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a empezar	he / she is going to start; you are going to start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a empezar	we are going to start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a empezar	you are going to start (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a empezar	they are going to start; you are going to start (plural)

• Voy a empezar a estudiar esta noche. — I am going to start studying tonight.

Empezar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, when useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive; this verb has no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empezaré	I will start
Tú — you, singular informal	empezarás	you will start
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empezará	he / she will start; you will start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezaremos	we will start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezaréis	you will start (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empezarán	they will start; you will start (plural)

• La película empezará en diez minutos. — The movie will start in ten minutes.

Empezar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive; this verb has no separate irregular future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empezaría	I would start
Tú — you, singular informal	empezarías	you would start
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empezaría	he / she would start; you would start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezaríamos	we would start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezaríais	you would start (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empezarían	they would start; you would start (plural)

• Empezaría hoy si tuviera todo listo. — I would start today if I had everything ready.

Empezar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; its distribution varies regionally. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he empezado	I have started
Tú — you, singular informal	has empezado	you have started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha empezado	he / she has started; you have started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos empezado	we have started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis empezado	you have started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han empezado	they have started; you have started (plural)

• Ya hemos empezado el proyecto. — We have already started the project.

Empezar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había empezado	I had started
Tú — you, singular informal	habías empezado	you had started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había empezado	he / she had started; you had started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos empezado	we had started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais empezado	you had started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían empezado	they had started; you had started (plural)

• La reunión ya había empezado cuando llegué. — The meeting had already started when I arrived.

Empezar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré empezado	I will have started
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás empezado	you will have started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá empezado	he / she will have started; you will have started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos empezado	we will have started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis empezado	you will have started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán empezado	they will have started; you will have started (plural)

• Para entonces habrán empezado las clases. — By then the classes will have started.

Empezar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría empezado	I would have started
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías empezado	you would have started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría empezado	he / she would have started; you would have started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos empezado	we would have started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais empezado	you would have started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían empezado	they would have started; you would have started (plural)

• Habría empezado antes con más información. — I would have started earlier with more information.

Empezar subjunctive conjugations

Empezar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use empiec-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use empec-; both reflect the spelling rule before e.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empiece	that I start
Tú — you, singular informal	empieces	that you start
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empiece	that he / she start; that you start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empecemos	that we start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empecéis	that you start (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empiecen	that they start; that you start (plural)

• Quiero que empieces ahora. — I want you to start now.

Empezar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table; do not assume unrestricted interchangeability in every special construction. These forms are built from the third-person plural preterite family; the main table uses the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empezara	that I started
Tú — you, singular informal	empezaras	that you started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empezara	that he / she started; that you started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezáramos	that we started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezarais	that you started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empezaran	that they started; that you started (plural)

• Preferían que empezáramos por la parte fácil. — They preferred that we start with the easy part.
• Era mejor que empezases después de comer. — It was better for you to start after lunch.

Empezar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms share the same historical stem family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	empezare	if / when I should start
Tú — you, singular informal	empezares	if / when you should start
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	empezare	if / when he / she should start; if / when you should start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	empezáremos	if / when we should start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezareis	if / when you should start (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	empezaren	if / when they should start; if / when you should start (plural)

• Quien empezare el trámite deberá completarlo. — Whoever should begin the procedure must complete it.

Empezar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya empezado	that I have started
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas empezado	that you have started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya empezado	that he / she has started; that you have started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos empezado	that we have started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis empezado	that you have started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan empezado	that they have started; that you have started (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas empezado el curso. — I am glad that you have started the course.

Empezar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera empezado	that I had started
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras empezado	that you had started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera empezado	that he / she had started; that you had started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos empezado	that we had started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais empezado	that you had started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran empezado	that they had started; that you had started (plural)

• Si hubiéramos empezado antes, ya habríamos terminado. — If we had started earlier, we would already have finished.
• Si hubieses empezado por aquí, habría sido más sencillo. — If you had started here, it would have been simpler.

Empezar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the participle empezado — “started.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere empezado	if / when I should have started
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres empezado	if / when you should have started
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere empezado	if / when he / she should have started; if / when you should have started (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos empezado	if / when we should have started
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis empezado	if / when you should have started (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren empezado	if / when they should have started; if / when you should have started (plural)

• Si hubieren empezado las obras, deberán señalizar la zona. — If the works should have started, they must mark the area.

Empezar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. Spanish uses different morphological sources by person and polarity; the nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Empezar affirmative commands

Use affirmative commands for direct instructions when the meaning supports an instruction naturally. The table contains the five core addressee or exhortative rows.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	empieza	start
Usted — you, singular formal	empiece	start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	empecemos	let’s start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	empezad	start (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	empiecen	start (plural)

• Empieza por el primer ejercicio. — Start with the first exercise.

Empezar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the command form.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no empieces	do not start
Usted — you, singular formal	no empiece	do not start (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no empecemos	let’s not start
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no empecéis	do not start (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no empiecen	do not start (plural)

• No empieces sin leer las instrucciones. — Do not start without reading the instructions.

Common constructions with Empezar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• empezar algo. — to start something.
• empezar a + infinitive. — to start doing something.
• empezar por + noun or infinitive. — to start with / by something.

Example sentences with Empezar

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• La clase empieza a las nueve. — The class starts at nine.
• Voy a empezar a cocinar. — I am going to start cooking.
• Empezamos el proyecto la semana pasada. — We started the project last week.
• Espero que empieces pronto. — I hope you start soon.
• Ya ha empezado a llover. — It has already started raining.
• Empieza por lo más importante. — Start with the most important thing.

Regional and usage notes for Empezar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some common second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos empezás a las ocho. — You start at eight. (voseo)
• Empezá por esta página. — Start with this page. (affirmative vos command)

For empezar, track two mechanisms rather than calling the whole verb unpredictable: e → ie in stressed present forms and z → c before e. The remaining major tense families are regular.