començar

Començar is a Catalan verb meaning to begin or to start. It is widely used across Catalan-speaking regions, including Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia, and appears in standard written Catalan as well as regional varieties. The verb is versatile and common in everyday speech, academic writing, and media.

Etymology and related forms: Començar derives from Latin incipere with the prefix com-, reflecting a common Romance-language pattern. It is cognate with Spanish empezar, French commencer, Italian cominciare, and Portuguese começar, all sharing the same core meaning of beginning or initiating an action.

Conjugation and usage: Començar is a regular -ar verb. In the present indicative, the standard forms are: jo començo, tu comences, ell comença, nosaltres comencem, vosaltres comenceu, ells comencen. The verb frequently appears with a following infinitive to express starting to do something, as in començar a estudiar (to start studying). The present perfect is formed with haver: he començat, has començat, ha començat, hem començat, heu començat, han començat.

Usage notes: Començar is used in a wide range of contexts, from practical routines (començar avui) to planned projects (començar un projecte). It can appear in imperative form as a command or suggestion (comença!). Related nouns include començament (beginning) and inici (initiation). In many dialects, comenzar a is also understood, but commencer a is the standard construction in Catalan.

See also: In other Romance languages, cognate verbs have similar meanings and forms, reflecting a shared Latin root. Other related Catalan verbs include iniciar and emprendre, which convey related notions of beginning or undertaking.