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Ayer empecé la nueva serie de misterio.

Ayer empecé la nueva serie de misterio.
I started the new mystery series yesterday.
From Lesson 136:Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler, importar)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Ayer empecé la nueva serie de misterio.

Why is it empecé and not "empezé"?
The verb is empezar (to start). When we conjugate it in the "yo" (I) form of the past tense (preterite), the z changes to a c. In Spanish, you will almost never see a z followed by an e or an i. So, the spelling changes to empecé to keep the same pronunciation.
Why is it serie de misterio instead of "misterio serie"?
In English, we often put two nouns together and use the first one like an adjective ("mystery series"). In Spanish, you can't stack nouns like that. Instead, you use the formula: [Noun 1] + de + [Noun 2]. So, "mystery series" becomes serie de misterio (literally "series of mystery").
Why does nueva come before serie? I thought adjectives usually go after the noun.
You are right that most adjectives come after the noun in Spanish. However, a few common adjectives like nuevo (new), bueno (good), and malo (bad) often go before the noun. When nuevo goes before the noun, it usually means "newly acquired" or "new to me" (like starting a series you haven't seen before).
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
In Spanish, the ending of the verb tells us who is doing the action. The -é ending on empecé strictly belongs to yo (I) in the past tense. Because of this, you don't need to actually say yo unless you want to add special emphasis or clear up confusion.

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