Conjugation confusion (with empezar....I think)

Question

I realize that sometimes Spanish speakers say or spell things a little differently than how they appear in my textbook.

The word is "empecemos". The most logical explanation would be that it means "Let's get started!" It is the title of Chapter 1. When I put it in the translator, it directed me to empezar. The answers forum, people said it meant, "Let's get started" and was a form of empezar.

My problem is that in the conjugation section, all forms of "empezar" spell it with a "z". Is this a variation? What conjugation form is it? (I'm asking if it is present, preterit, etc.)

By the way, ¡Feliz Navidad a todos!

Answer 1

This is the first person plural imperative conjugation of "empezar".

Thanks! I just learned something about this site...it is better to use the "Conjugate" tab than to use the "see the conjugations" in the dictionary. If I had, I wouldn't have had to ask this question. However, thanks for answering this! - jlgluvslara, Dec 24, 2012

Answer 2

Another thing jlgluvslara - Spanish spelling unlike English is very reliable - they only use the "z" letter instead of "c" to preserve the soft "c" sound when the broader vowels following (a, o or u) would give it a hard "k" pronounciation.

Answer 3

For more on this z to c shift, and two similar other shifts, may I suggest searching for " -car, -gar, -zar" verbs. And if the previous answer about "preserving the pronunciation" didn't make sense, then also the section on pronunciation of Cs and Gs, in front of different vowels. Then it should click. Again, very good question.