Commencer is the most common and straightforward way to say 'to start' in French. But just like in English, there are several other options to express the idea of beginning something.As you learn French, knowing these different ways to say 'to start' will greatly enrich your vocabulary and make your conversations sound much more natural.Let's dive into these 9 common and useful ways to say 'to start' in French!

The general 'to start' or 'to begin' - commencer

Commencer is the most common and versatile verb in French for 'to start' or 'to begin'.

As a regular -ER verb, its conjugation follows a predictable pattern, making it relatively straightforward for learners.

To express 'to start to do something,' commencer is almost always followed by the preposition à and an infinitive verb. For example, 'Il commence à pleuvoir' (It's starting to rain).

When you want to say 'to start by doing something,' you use commencer par followed by an infinitive. This emphasizes the initial action in a sequence. For example, 'Nous allons commencer par manger' (We will start by eating).

Commencer can also be used transitively, directly followed by a noun, meaning 'to start something' or 'to begin something.' For instance, 'Elle a commencé un nouveau projet' (She started a new project).

You'll often hear commencer in common expressions like 'commencer les cours' (to start classes) or 'commencer une phrase' (to begin a sentence). It's a fundamental verb for initiating actions and processes.

💡 *Je commence à apprendre le français. (I'm starting to learn French.)
*Ils ont commencé par saluer tout le monde. (They started by greeting everyone.)
*Le film commence à 20h. (The film starts at 8 PM.)
*Elle commence un nouveau travail lundi. (She starts a new job on Monday.)
*Commençons par le début. (Let's start from the beginning.)

The 'to begin' (often for activities or careers) - débuter

While commencer is a versatile verb meaning 'to begin' or 'to start' in French, débuter carries a more specific nuance. It implies making a debut or starting something new, particularly in professional, artistic, or significant activity contexts.

You'll frequently encounter débuter when talking about starting a career, a new job, a sport, or an artistic endeavor. It emphasizes the initial entry into a field or activity.

Think of débuter as 'to make one's debut.' It's perfect for describing when an actor starts their first role, a musician releases their first album, or someone begins a new profession.

Unlike commencer, which can be used for anything from 'starting a car' to 'starting a conversation,' débuter is reserved for these more significant 'first starts.' You wouldn't typically débuter a meal, for instance.

As a regular -er verb, débuter is straightforward to conjugate. It's often followed by dans when referring to the field or domain in which someone is making their debut, for example, débuter dans le cinéma (to debut in cinema).

Mastering débuter allows you to express the specific idea of 'making a first start' or 'debuting' in French, adding precision to your vocabulary.

💡 * Il a débuté sa carrière comme acteur. (He began his career as an actor.)

Elle va débuter dans une nouvelle entreprise le mois prochain. (She's going to start at a new company next month.)

Le jeune artiste a débuté avec une exposition remarquée. (The young artist debuted with a remarkable exhibition.)

Quand avez-vous débuté le piano ? (When did you start playing the piano?)

The 'to undertake' or 'to embark on' - entreprendre

The French verb entreprendre primarily means 'to undertake,' 'to embark on,' or 'to start' something significant.

It's closely related to the English word 'enterprise,' reflecting its core meaning of initiating a project or venture with effort and determination.

You'll often hear entreprendre when discussing the initiation of a new project, a business, or a significant task. It conveys the idea of taking on a responsibility or a challenge.

Beyond business, it can also describe embarking on a journey, a difficult path, or even a course of action that requires considerable effort and commitment.

Entreprendre is an irregular verb, conjugated similarly to prendre (to take). This means its stem changes in certain tenses, making it important to learn its specific forms.

The verb entreprendre implies a deliberate decision to begin something, often with a sense of challenge, ambition, or forward movement towards a goal.

💡 * Il veut entreprendre un grand voyage. (He wants to embark on a great journey.)

Elle a décidé d'entreprendre des études de médecine. (She decided to undertake medical studies.)

Nous allons entreprendre un nouveau projet. (We are going to start a new project.)

C'est une tâche difficile à entreprendre. (It's a difficult task to undertake.)

L'entreprise a entrepris de moderniser ses usines. (The company undertook to modernize its factories.)

The 'to launch' (a project, a product, a campaign) - lancer

The French verb lancer directly translates to 'to launch' or 'to throw' in English.

It is frequently used for initiating or starting something significant, such as a projet (project), a produit (product), or a campagne (campaign). Think of it as 'to kick off' or 'to set in motion'.

Beyond metaphorical launches, lancer also means 'to throw' in a literal sense (e.g., throwing a ball). It is a regular -er verb, but watch out for the 'ç' before 'o' and 'a' in some conjugations (e.g., nous lançons) to maintain the soft 'c' sound.

Lancer is a transitive verb, meaning it almost always takes a direct object. You 'launch something' (lancer quelque chose) or 'throw something' (lancer quelque chose).

💡 * Ils vont lancer un nouveau produit le mois prochain. (They are going to launch a new product next month.)

J'ai lancé la balle à mon chien. (I threw the ball to my dog.)

Nous lançons une campagne de sensibilisation. (We are launching an awareness campaign.)

Elle a lancé son entreprise l'année dernière. (She launched her business last year.)

Quand lancez-vous le projet ? (When are you launching the project?)

The 'to start an engine' or 'to get going' - démarrer

The 'to start an engine' or 'to get going' - démarrer

At its most literal, démarrer means 'to start an engine,' 'to start a vehicle,' or 'to start up a machine.' Think of turning the key in a car ignition or pressing the power button on a device.

Beyond engines, démarrer is widely used to mean 'to get going,' 'to kick off,' or 'to begin' an activity, project, or even a conversation. It implies an initiation or launch.

Démarrer is a regular -ER verb, making its conjugation straightforward. It can be used transitively (e.g., démarrer la voiture - to start the car) or intransitively (e.g., le moteur démarre - the engine starts).

Its versatility makes démarrer a highly useful verb in everyday French. From starting a new business to getting a party started, it conveys the idea of initiating movement or action.

Remember démarrer for both the literal act of starting an engine and the broader concept of initiating something, making it a key verb for expressing beginnings.

💡 * La voiture a eu du mal à démarrer ce matin. (The car had trouble starting this morning.)

Le projet démarre la semaine prochaine. (The project starts next week.)

Il faut démarrer l'ordinateur. (You need to start the computer.)

On va démarrer la réunion dans cinq minutes. (We're going to start the meeting in five minutes.)

J'espère que ce nouveau chapitre va bien démarrer. (I hope this new chapter gets off to a good start.)

The 'to start doing something' - se mettre à

In French, when you want to express the idea of "to start doing something" or "to get down to doing something," the verb phrase se mettre à is a very common and useful construction.

Se mettre à is a reflexive verb, literally meaning "to put oneself to." This reflexive aspect often emphasizes the act of deciding or committing to start an action, rather than just passively beginning.

This phrase is always followed by an infinitive verb, indicating the action that is being started. The structure is: subject + se mettre à + infinitive verb.

While commencer à also means "to start," se mettre à often carries a stronger connotation of a sudden, determined, or even unexpected start to an action. It implies a more active engagement or a shift in activity.

Think of se mettre à as "to set oneself to" or "to get stuck into" an activity, highlighting the initiation of a new, often sustained, effort. It's more dynamic than a simple commencer à (to begin).

💡 * Il s'est mis à pleuvoir. (It started to rain.)

Je me suis mis à apprendre le français. (I started learning French.)

Elle se met toujours à rire quand il raconte des blagues. (She always starts laughing when he tells jokes.)

Nous nous sommes mis au travail après la réunion. (We got down to work after the meeting.)

Dès qu'il rentre, il se met à jouer aux jeux vidéo. (As soon as he gets home, he starts playing video games.)

The 'to begin' or 'to break into' (a task, a discussion) - entamer

The French verb entamer is a versatile verb often translated as 'to begin,' 'to start,' or 'to initiate.' It is frequently used in formal or more specific contexts than the general commencer.

Unlike simply commencer, entamer often carries the nuance of breaking into something, signifying the very first part of a larger whole. This could be the start of a long discussion, the first step in a project, or even the initial cut into a food item.

You'll frequently encounter entamer when talking about starting a discussion (entamer une discussion), beginning a task (entamer une tâche), or even opening a bottle (entamer une bouteille) or cutting into a cake (entamer un gâteau). It implies an action that opens the way for what follows.

💡 * Il est temps d'entamer les négociations. (It's time to begin the negotiations.)

Nous allons entamer notre troisième chapitre. (We are going to start our third chapter.)

Elle a entamé le gâteau d'anniversaire. (She cut into the birthday cake.)

Le président a entamé son discours avec une anecdote. (The president began his speech with an anecdote.)

Je dois entamer ce nouveau projet dès demain. (I need to start this new project as early as tomorrow.)

The 'to inaugurate' or 'to officially open' - inaugurer

The French verb inaugurer directly translates to 'to inaugurate' or 'to officially open' in English. It's a regular -er verb, making its conjugation straightforward for learners.

Its most common use is for the formal and ceremonial opening of a new building, a public space, an exhibition, a festival, or any significant event that marks a public beginning.

Beyond physical openings, inaugurer can also mean to 'usher in' or 'mark the beginning of' a new period, a new policy, or an era, emphasizing a formal or significant commencement.

While ouvrir means 'to open' in a general sense, inaugurer specifically refers to the official, ceremonial, or public act of opening, often involving a formal event or ceremony.

💡 * Ils vont inaugurer la nouvelle bibliothèque le mois prochain. (They will inaugurate the new library next month.)

Le président a inauguré son mandat de cinq ans. (The president inaugurated his five-year term.)

L'exposition a été inaugurée par le maire. (The exhibition was inaugurated by the mayor.)

Cette décision inaugure une nouvelle ère de coopération. (This decision ushers in a new era of cooperation.)

The 'to approach' or 'to tackle' (a subject, a problem) - aborder

The French verb aborder primarily means 'to approach' or 'to tackle'. It's a versatile verb used in various contexts, from discussing a topic to physically reaching a place.

One of the most common uses of aborder is when referring to approaching a subject, tackling a problem, or addressing a theme. It implies starting to deal with or talk about something, often with a sense of directness.

Aborder can also mean to approach someone, often with the intention of speaking to them or initiating a conversation. This can be in a neutral context or sometimes imply a slightly more direct or forward approach.

Historically and literally, especially in nautical contexts, aborder means to come alongside, to dock, or to land (e.g., a ship approaching a shore or port). It can also refer to boarding another ship.

💡 * Nous devons aborder ce problème sérieusement. (We must tackle this problem seriously.)

Comment aborderiez-vous un sujet aussi délicat ? (How would you approach such a delicate subject?)

Il n'ose pas l'aborder. (He doesn't dare approach her.)

Le navire a abordé le quai. (The ship docked at the quay.)

J'aimerais aborder la question du budget. (I would like to address the budget question.)

Are there other ways to say 'to start' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to start' in French, like commencer and démarrer. But the French language, like any language, is rich with nuances, offering various verbs to express the idea of beginning, depending on the context.

You can also do an online search for 'comment dire commencer en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region to find local expressions or more specialized terms.

You might find many interesting synonyms for commencer or démarrer. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about starting something, from a journey to a new habit.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different kinds of beginnings, or verbs related to starting in French, the WordReference entry for commencer is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful in expanding your French vocabulary. Here’s a fitting proverb to finish it with: Le plus difficile, c'est de commencer. (The hardest part is to start.)

9 ways to say "to start" in French