comenzar

Senses

1. 1.

   to begin; to start

   to initiate or commence an action, event, or process

2. 2.

   to commence

   formal or written equivalent of 'start'

Examples

• "La película comienza a las ocho de la noche."

  The movie begins at eight o'clock in the evening.

• "Vamos a comenzar el proyecto la próxima semana."

  We are going to start the project next week.

• "Cuando comenzó a llover, nos fuimos a casa."

  When it started to rain, we went home.

Usage

Comenzar is slightly more formal than empezar (the most common verb for 'to start'). Both are interchangeable in most contexts. Comenzar is often used with *a + infinitive* to express 'to begin to do something.' It is a regular -ar verb with stem changes (e→ie) in the present tense.