Question 1

Why is the verb spelled empiezo instead of empezo?

Accepted Answer

The verb for "to start" is empezar. It belongs to a special group of verbs called "stem-changing verbs." When you conjugate these verbs, the vowel in the middle (the stem) changes. For empezar, the second e changes to ie for the "I" form, giving us yo empiezo.

Question 2

I learned that adjectives usually go after the noun. Why is nuevo placed before proyecto?

Accepted Answer

You're right that most adjectives go after the noun in Spanish. However, nuevo often breaks this rule! When nuevo is placed before the noun, it usually means "new to me" or a replacement (like getting a new assignment). If it's placed after the noun (el proyecto nuevo), it emphasizes that the project itself is brand newly created. Both would be correct here, but putting it before is very natural for a new task.

Question 3

Do I have to include yo at the beginning of this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, you can simply say Empiezo el nuevo proyecto hoy. Because the -o ending in empiezo already tells us that "I" am doing the action, the word yo is optional. Including it just adds a little extra emphasis, like saying "I am starting the new project today."

Question 4

How do I pronounce the z in empiezo?

Accepted Answer

In Latin American Spanish, the letter z is always pronounced exactly like the English "s". So, empiezo is pronounced "em-PYE-so". (You will only hear the z pronounced like the English "th" in Spain).

Yo empiezo el nuevo proyecto hoy.

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