Usage Note
Comenzar is a stem-changing verb (e→ie: comienza) and also has a spelling change in the preterite first-person singular: comencé (not comenzé) to preserve the soft 's' sound before -é. It is slightly more formal than empezar, which is its near-synonym; both take a + infinitive to indicate the start of an action (comenzar a llover).
Examples
"La reunión comienza a las nueve."
Natural Translation
The meeting begins at nine.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic