Começase

Começase is a historical or nonstandard spelling sometimes encountered for começasse, the imperfect subjunctive form of the Portuguese verb começar (to begin). The underlying form comes from the same verb stem egne and uses the common Romance pattern of the imperfect subjunctive ending -asse. The distinction between -asse and -ase variants reflects older orthographic practices that varied before standardization.

In modern standard Portuguese, the normative spelling is começasse, with double s in the -asse sequence. The single-s variant começase appears primarily in historical texts, earlier orthographies, or as a nonstandard regional spelling. Today it is generally not accepted in formal writing and education materials.

Usage notes: when constructing a sentence in the imperfect subjunctive, speakers and writers typically use começasse (e.g., Se eu começasse cedo, eu terminaria hoje). The form começase would be considered nonstandard or archaic in contemporary contexts, though it may be found in certain archival sources or regional dialect writings that preserve older spellings.

Etymology and related forms: começar is the infinitive; começasse is the imperfect subjunctive, mirroring other -ar verbs in Portuguese. Related forms include começando (gerund) and comecei/comecei (pretérito perfeito). Understanding the standard começasse helps interpret historical Portuguese texts where começase might appear due to orthographic variation.