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Conjugation Chart of “Comenzar” (to begin) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Comenzar”

The preterite of comenzar is used to express when something began at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I began studying Spanish last year” – “Comencé a estudiar español el año pasado.”

This verb follows the -zar spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. When conjugating, the ‘z’ changes to ‘c’ before ‘e’ to maintain the same sound, which happens in the yo form (comencé).

How to Use Comenzar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of comenzar expresses a specific instance of beginning something in the past.

To start/begin (single action): Used to indicate when something definitively started, for example Comencé mi trabajo a las ocho (I started my work at eight), or El concierto comenzó tarde (The concert began late).

To initiate a new phase: Marks the clear starting point of a new activity or period, for example Comenzaron las clases en septiembre (Classes started in September).

Real Life Examples of Comenzar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Ayer comencé un nuevo libro de García Márquez. (Yesterday I began a new book by García Márquez.)

Los estudiantes comenzaron el semestre con mucho entusiasmo. (The students began the semester with great enthusiasm.)

¿A qué hora comenzó la película? (What time did the movie begin?)

Comenzamos el proyecto sin demora. (We began the project without delay.)

La tormenta comenzó de repente. (The storm began suddenly.)

Cuando comenzaste a hablar español, ¿qué edad tenías? (When you began speaking Spanish, how old were you?)

Las clases comenzaron a las ocho en punto. (Classes began at eight o’clock sharp.)

Comenzó su carrera como profesor en 2010. (He began his career as a teacher in 2010.)

Los músicos comenzaron a tocar al anochecer. (The musicians began playing at nightfall.)

Comenzamos la reunión con una breve introducción. (We began the meeting with a brief introduction.)

¿Por qué comenzaste tan tarde? (Why did you begin so late?)

El concierto comenzó con un retraso de media hora. (The concert began with a half-hour delay.)

Comenzaron las negociaciones esta mañana. (The negotiations began this morning.)

Todos comenzamos a aplaudir cuando terminó. (We all began to applaud when it finished.)

La empresa comenzó sus operaciones en mayo. (The company began its operations in May.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Comenzar (to begin) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.