Breakdown of El compañero quiere empezar a revisar el correo del cliente.
el correo
the mail
del
of the / from the / about the (topic)
a
to
querer
to want; to love (a person)
empezar
to begin
el compañero
the colleague / the classmate
revisar
to review; to check (over), to inspect, to service
el cliente
the client
Questions & Answers about El compañero quiere empezar a revisar el correo del cliente.
Why is there an a after empezar?
In Spanish, the verb empezar (to begin or start) requires the preposition a when it is followed by another verb in its infinitive form. This is why we say empezar a revisar for 'to start reviewing'.
Why are there two infinitive verbs (empezar and revisar) right after each other?
It is very common in Spanish to chain verbs together. Here we have a sequence of three verbs: quiere (conjugated), followed by empezar (infinitive), and then revisar (infinitive). In a chain like this, only the first verb is conjugated to match the subject (el compañero), while the others stay in their infinitive forms.
Does compañero just mean companion?
It can mean companion, but in everyday professional or educational settings, it usually translates to colleague or classmate. If you want to be extra clear that someone is a coworker, you can say compañero de trabajo.
Does revisar mean to revise or to review?
revisar is a false friend! It means to review, to check, or to go over something, which is why the colleague is checking the client's mail in this sentence. If you want to talk about revising schoolwork for a test, the verb commonly used in Spain is repasar.
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