empiezan

Empiezan is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb empezar, meaning to begin or to start. It translates as “they begin” or “you all begin” in contexts using ustedes or ellos/ellas.

Empezar is a stem-changing -ar verb. In the present tense, the stem e changes to ie in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros forms, which keep the original stem. Accordingly, the present indicative conjugation is: yo empiezo, tú empiezas, él empieza, nosotros empezamos, vosotros empezáis, ellos empiezan. The form empie- appears in most persons, while the nosotros and vosotros forms retain empe- as in empezamos and empezáis. The third-person plural form empie- yields empieza or empiezan depending on the subject.

Empiezan is used to describe the beginning of actions or events, often followed by a to-infinitive construction such as empezar a + infinitivo. Examples include Ellos empiezan a estudiar temprano or Ellos empiezan la tarea ahora. It can also appear in time expressions or narrative to indicate when events commence, as in Mañana empiezan las clases.

Etymology and related forms: empezar belongs to the core inventory of Spanish verbs and shows a regular present-tense irregularity due to the e→ie stem change. Related forms include empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezan, as well as the imperfect and other tenses derived from the same stem. The nearest related verb is comenzar, which has a similar meaning and usage but a different etymology.