How to conjugate Empezar in Spanish
To start, to begin Irregular Verb Top 100
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Empezar
- Empezar in the Indicative Present
- Empezar in the Indicative Preterite
- Empezar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Empezar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Empezar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Empezar in the Indicative Future
- Empezar in the Indicative Conditional
- Empezar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Empezar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Empezar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Empezar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Empezar
- Imperative tenses of Empezar
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Empezar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Empezar is the Spanish verb for "to start, to begin". It is an irregular verb, and one of the most popular 100 Spanish verbs. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to empezar include: comenzar, iniciar.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | empezar | to start, to begin |
| Past participle | empezado | started |
| Gerund | empezando | starting |
Indicative Tenses of Empezar
Empezar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of empezar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "empiezo corriendo", meaning "I start running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empiezo | I start |
| Tú | empiezas | you start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empieza | s/he starts, you (formal) start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezamos | we start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezáis | you (plural) start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empiezan | they start |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of empezar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "empecé corriendo", meaning "I started running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empecé | I started |
| Tú | empezaste | you started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empezó | s/he started, you (formal) started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezamos | we started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezasteis | you (plural) started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empezaron | they started |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of empezar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "empezaba corriendo", meaning "I used to start running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empezaba | I used to start |
| Tú | empezabas | you used to start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empezaba | s/he used to start, you (formal) used to start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezábamos | we used to start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezabais | you (plural) used to start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empezaban | they used to start |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of empezar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy empezando corriendo", meaning "I am starting running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy empezando | I am starting |
| Tú | estás empezando | you are starting |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está empezando | s/he is starting, you (formal) are starting |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos empezando | we are starting |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis empezando | you (plural) are starting |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están empezando | they are starting |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of empezar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a empezar corriendo", meaning "I am going to start running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a empezar | I am going to start |
| Tú | vas a empezar | you are going to start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a empezar | s/he is going to start, you (formal) are going to start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a empezar | we are going to start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a empezar | you (plural) are going to start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a empezar | they are going to start |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of empezar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "empezaré corriendo", meaning "I will start running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empezaré | I will start |
| Tú | empezarás | you will start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empezará | s/he will start, you (formal) will start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezaremos | we will start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezaréis | you (plural) will start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empezarán | they will start |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of empezar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "empezaría corriendo", meaning "I would start running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empezaría | I would start |
| Tú | empezarías | you would start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empezaría | s/he would start, you (formal) would start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezaríamos | we would start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezaríais | you (plural) would start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empezarían | they would start |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of empezar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he empezado corriendo", meaning "I have started running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he empezado | I have started |
| Tú | has empezado | you have started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha empezado | s/he has started, you (formal) have started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos empezado | we have started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis empezado | you (plural) have started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han empezado | they have started |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of empezar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había empezado corriendo", meaning "I had started running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había empezado | I had started |
| Tú | habías empezado | you had started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había empezado | s/he had started, you (formal) had started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos empezado | we had started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais empezado | you (plural) had started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían empezado | they had started |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of empezar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré empezado corriendo", meaning "I will have started running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré empezado | I will have started |
| Tú | habrás empezado | you will have started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá empezado | s/he will have started, you (formal) will have started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos empezado | we will have started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis empezado | you (plural) will have started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán empezado | they will have started |
Back to top
Empezar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of empezar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría empezado corriendo", meaning "I would have started running".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría empezado | I would have started |
| Tú | habrías empezado | you would have started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría empezado | s/he would have started, you (formal) would have started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos empezado | we would have started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais empezado | you (plural) would have started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían empezado | they would have started |
Back to top
Subjunctive Tenses of Empezar
Empezar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "empiece", meaning "I start".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empiece | I start |
| Tú | empieces | you start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empiece | s/he starts, you (formal) start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empecemos | we start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empecéis | you (plural) start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empiecen | they start |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Back to top
Empezar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "empezara", meaning "I started".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empezara | I started |
| Tú | empezaras | you started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empezara | s/he started, you (formal) started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezáramos | we started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezarais | you (plural) started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empezaran | they started |
Back to top
Empezar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "empezare", meaning "I will start".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | empezare | I will start |
| Tú | empezares | you will start |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empezare | s/he will start, you (formal) will start |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empezáremos | we will start |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezareis | you (plural) will start |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empezaren | they will start |
Back to top
Empezar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya empezado", meaning "I have started".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya empezado | I have started |
| Tú | hayas empezado | you have started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya empezado | s/he has started, you (formal) have started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos empezado | we have started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis empezado | you (plural) have started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan empezado | they have started |
Back to top
Empezar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera empezado", meaning "I had started".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera empezado | I had started |
| Tú | hubieras empezado | you had started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera empezado | s/he had started, you (formal) had started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos empezado | we had started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais empezado | you (plural) had started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran empezado | they had started |
Back to top
Empezar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere empezado", meaning "I will have started".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere empezado | I will have started |
| Tú | hubieres empezado | you will have started |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere empezado | s/he will have started, you (formal) will have started |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos empezado | we will have started |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis empezado | you (plural) will have started |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren empezado | they will have started |
Back to top
Imperative Tenses of Empezar
Empezar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "empiece", meaning "(to you formal) start!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | empieza | (to you) start! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | empiece | (to you formal) start! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | empecemos | let's start! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | empezad | (to you plural) start! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | empiecen | (to you plural formal) start! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Back to top
Empezar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no empiece", meaning "(to you formal) don't start!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no empieces | (to you) don't start! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no empiece | (to you formal) don't start! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no empecemos | let's not start! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no empecéis | (to you plural) don't start! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no empiecen | (to you plural formal) don't start! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Back to top
Example sentences and usage
- ¡Date prisa! Empieza el concierto. Hurry up! The concert is starting.
- Planta estas semillas antes de que empiece el verano. Plant these seeds before summer sets in.
- La semana pasada empecé a aprender chino. I started learning Chinese last week.
- La vida empieza cuando te das cuenta de quién eres realmente. Life begins when we realize who we really are.
- La película empezó a las 2. The film started at 2 o'clock.
- Hace sólo una hora que empezaste este trabajo. You only started this job an hour ago.
- Empezaremos cuando estés listo. We'll start whenever you are ready.
- Él empezó a trabajar para esa compañía el año pasado. He began to work for that company last year.
Back to top
Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Empezar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
Back to top
Practice Empezar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
Get full conjugation tables for Empezar and 2,300+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.
We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!
Back to top
About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:
It has changed a lot over the 6+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!
- Jane & Brian
Back to top
Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Emplear – to employ, to use or see the complete list of verbs here.
Back to top
Empezar: to start, to begin
Remove the mystery behind Spanish conjugation with Ella Verbs
- Learn how to conjugate (not just memorize)
- Discover & focus on your weaknesses
- Interactive quizzes that you actually learn from
- Free to try, and free forever for those who cannot afford it.
Download for free now
Join 100,000+ others and master your Spanish conjugation with the top-rated verb app, Ella Verbs
Great program that has and is helping me immensely. Four years [studying Spanish] and after just a couple of days with this app I finally am 'getting' the verb thing into my head. After the first couple of lessons I finally feel comfortable conversing with the natives here in Panama. I still have a long way to go but this application was the key for me. Thank you!
Google Play Store