commencer

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English

Etymology

commence +‎ -er

Noun

commencer (plural commencers)

  1. One who commences.

French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French commencer, from Old French comencier, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔ.mɑ̃.se/
  • audio(file)

Verb

commencer

  1. to begin, commence

Conjugation

This verb is part of a group of -er verbs for which 'c' is softened to a 'ç' before the vowels 'a' and 'o'.

Conjugation of commencer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple commencer
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple commençant
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle commencé
/kɔ.mɑ̃.se/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present commence
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		commences
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		commence
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		commençons
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɔ̃/ 		commencez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ 		commencent
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/
imperfect commençais
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/ 		commençais
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/ 		commençait
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/ 		commencions
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ 		commenciez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sje/ 		commençaient
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/
past historic2 commençai
/kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ 		commenças
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sa/ 		commença
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sa/ 		commençâmes
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sam/ 		commençâtes
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sat/ 		commencèrent
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛʁ/
future commencerai
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁe/ 		commenceras
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁa/ 		commencera
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁa/ 		commencerons
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/ 		commencerez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁe/ 		commenceront
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/
conditional commencerais
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/ 		commencerais
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/ 		commencerait
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/ 		commencerions
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		commenceriez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sə.ʁje/ 		commenceraient
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present commence
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		commences
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		commence
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		commencions
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sjɔ̃/ 		commenciez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sje/ 		commencent
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/
imperfect2 commençasse
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sas/ 		commençasses
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sas/ 		commençât
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sa/ 		commençassions
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sa.sjɔ̃/ 		commençassiez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sa.sje/ 		commençassent
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — commence
/kɔ.mɑ̃s/ 		— commençons
/kɔ.mɑ̃.sɔ̃/ 		commencez
/kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

  • Haitian Creole: komanse
  • → Esperanto: komenci

Further reading

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French comencier.

Verb

commencer

  1. (transitive, intransitive) to start; to begin

Conjugation

  • As parler except c becomes ç before a and o. May remain c in older manuscripts.
  • Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.
Conjugation of commencer
infinitive simple commencer
compound avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2 simple commençant
compound present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle commencé
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative ie (i’) tu il, elle nous vous ilz, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present commence commences commence commençons commencez commencent
imperfect commençois, commençoys commençois, commençoys commençoit, commençoyt commencions, commençons commenciez, commencyez commençoient, commençoyent
past historic commença commenças commença commençasmes commençastes commencerent
future commencerai, commenceray commenceras commencera commencerons commencerez commenceront
conditional commencerois, commenceroys commencerois, commenceroys commenceroit, commenceroyt commencerions, commenceryons commenceriez, commenceryez commenceroient, commenceroyent
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que ie (i’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present commence commences commence commençons commencez commencent
imperfect commençasse commençasses commençast commençassions commençassiez commençassent
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — commence — commençons commencez —
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château , Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château , op. cit., p. 180).

Descendants

  • French: commencer (see there for further descendants)
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