empezamos

Empezamos is a form of the Spanish verb empezar. It is the first-person plural present indicative form, meaning "we begin" or "we start." It is also the first-person plural preterite form meaning "we began" in contexts that require a past action; the form is identical in both tenses, and context or time expressions clarify the meaning.

Empezar is a stem-changing verb in the present tense: e -> ie in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros forms. The present indicative conjugation includes: yo empiezo, tú empiezas, él empieza, nosotros empezamos, vosotros empezáis, ellos empiezan. The nosotros form, empezamos, preserves the base root before the -amos ending, without the vowel change seen in the other forms.

Etymology: Empezar comes from Old Spanish empezar, derived from Latin incipere. The verb is part of the Romance pattern that features a stem change in the present tense and the orthographic use of z in the root for the nosotros and vosotros forms.

Usage notes: Empezar is used for initiating actions, events, or processes. The construction empezar a + infinitive is common to express the onset of an activity, as in "empezar a estudiar" (to start studying). Because perfectamente identical in spelling, context and time expressions are necessary to determine whether empezar refers to present or past action when you encounter "empezamos."

See also: empezar, comenzar, conjugation of empezar, Spanish verb conjugation, stem-changing verbs.