Verb · stem change, e to ie
empezar
to start, to begin
The thing that catches people out
Two changes at once: empiezo in the present, and empecé in the past, where the z turns to c before an e. empezar a plus a verb is to start doing something.
Present
What happens, and what is happening now.
| yo | empiezo | |
| tú | empiezas | |
| él, ella, usted | empieza | |
| nosotros | empezamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | empiezan | |
| vosotros, Spain only | empezáis |
Preterite, the finished past
Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.
| yo | empecé | |
| tú | empezaste | |
| él, ella, usted | empezó | |
| nosotros | empezamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | empezaron | |
| vosotros, Spain only | empezasteis |
Imperfect, the background past
What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
| yo | empezaba | |
| tú | empezabas | |
| él, ella, usted | empezaba | |
| nosotros | empezábamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | empezaban | |
| vosotros, Spain only | empezabais |
Future
Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.
| yo | empezaré | |
| tú | empezarás | |
| él, ella, usted | empezará | |
| nosotros | empezaremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | empezarán | |
| vosotros, Spain only | empezaréis |
Present perfect
Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.
| yo | he empezado | |
| tú | has empezado | |
| él, ella, usted | ha empezado | |
| nosotros | hemos empezado | |
| ellos, ustedes | han empezado | |
| vosotros, Spain only | habéis empezado |
Other forms
The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.
| -ing form | empezando | |
| participle | empezado | |
| command, to tú | empieza | |
| command, to usted | empiece |
In a sentence
la clase empieza a las nueve
the class starts at nine
empecé a estudiar español
I started studying Spanish