To describe an action that begins abruptly or unexpectedly, use the reflexive verb mettersi followed by the preposition a and an infinitive verb.
| to start (doing something) | mettersi a |
Because it's a reflexive verb, mettersi a takes the auxiliary essere in compound tenses like the passato prossimo. The past participle (messo) must also agree in gender and number with the subject.
| The ostrich started to peck the glass. | Lo struzzo si è messo a beccare il vetro. |
| Why did that little boy start to shriek? | Perché quel bambino si è messo a strillare? |
| The herd started to chase the car. | Il branco si è messo a inseguire la macchina. |
When the subject is plural, the participle changes to match (messi for masculine plural or messe for feminine plural):
| Suddenly, the lions started to roar. | All'improvviso, i leoni si sono messi a ruggire. |
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