Breakdown of La mosca empieza a comer cuando encuentra comida.
comer
to eat
a
to
la comida
food
empezar
to start / to begin
encontrar
to find
la
the (feminine)
cuando
when (statement)
la mosca
fly
Questions & Answers about La mosca empieza a comer cuando encuentra comida.
Why do we use the indicative encuentra instead of the subjunctive encuentre after cuando?
We use the indicative mood after cuando (when) because this sentence describes a habitual action or a general fact. The fly always starts to eat when it finds food. If this were a future, uncompleted action (like "The fly will eat when it finds food"), you would need the subjunctive encuentre.
Why is there an a between empieza and comer?
The verb empezar (to begin/start) requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb. You will always use the formula empezar a + infinitive to say that someone starts doing something.
Why isn't there a word for "it" before encuentra?
Could I use comienza instead of empieza here?
Yes! Comenzar and empezar both mean "to start" or "to begin" and are mostly interchangeable. Empieza is generally slightly more common in casual, everyday conversation, while comienza can sound a tiny bit more formal. Both work perfectly here, and both require the preposition a before an infinitive.
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