Spanish Conversation · Level 136
45 words
Spanish word
principiar
Pronunciation
IPA/pɾinθiˈpjaɾ/
Meaning
- verbstart
Example
¿Podemos principiar ahora?
Can we start now?
More examples
Ella decidió principiar el proyecto hoy.
She decided to start the project today.
Core concept
Person taking the first step across a threshold.
Common phrases
principiar una conversación
start a conversation
principiar de cero
start from scratch
principiar con un saludo
start with a greeting
Similar words
empezar: Starts an action or event, marking the initial move in ordinary contexts.
comenzar: Begins at the precise moment an event gets under way, focusing on the start point.
iniciar: Initiates a project, procedure, or process in an official or organized manner.
ponerse: Begins doing something immediately, showing prompt, self-directed action.
Definition in Spanish
Comenzar algo; dar principio a una acción o proceso.
Word origin
From medieval Latin principiare and ultimately from Latin principium meaning 'beginning', the verb denotes the act of starting.
Usage tips
- Principiar is more formal than empezar or comenzar and appears more often in written or literary Spanish, and it commonly takes a + infinitive such as principiar a trabajar.
Other meanings
- beginverb
- commenceverb
Related words
- principiobeginningnoun
- principiantebeginnernoun