What does commencer in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word commencer in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use commencer in French.

The word commencer in French means begin, start, start, begin, start to do , begin to do, begin with, start with, first do , firstly do, get, start, begin, be the first part, start, starting with, start at the bottom, begin at the beginning, start a new life, have only just begun, to start with, to begin with. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word commencer

begin, start

verbe intransitif (être à son début)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Attention mesdames et messieurs, le spectacle va commencer.
Your attention please Ladies and Gentlemen, the show is about to begin (or: start).

start, begin

verbe intransitif (débuter, avoir comme départ)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
La séance commence à 18 h.
The session starts (or: begins) at 6 pm.

start to do , begin to do

locution verbale (se mettre à)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Il commence à faire nuit, nous devrions rentrer.
It's starting to get dark; we'd better go home.

begin with, start with

verbe transitif indirect (faire [qch] en premier)

Par quoi allons-nous commencer aujourd'hui ?
What shall we begin with today?

first do , firstly do

locution verbale (faire [qch] en premier)

Si l'outil ne fonctionne pas, commencez par vérifier que tous les câbles sont bien branchés.
If the tool is not working, firstly (or: first) check that all the cables are plugged in.

get

verbe transitif (débuter la première phase de [qch]) (informal)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
J'ai le nez pris, je crois que je commence une crève.
I've got a blocked nose; I think I'm getting a heavy cold.

start, begin

verbe transitif (se mettre à faire [qch])

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Pierre commence le judo le mois prochain.
Peter is starting (or: beginning) judo next month.

be the first part

verbe transitif (constituer la première partie)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les hors d'œuvres commencent le repas.
The meal starts (or: begins) with the first course.

start

verbe intransitif (faire [qch] de désagréable) (informal)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Ah non, tu ne vas pas encore commencer !
Oh no, you're not going to start again!

starting with

(tel que)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

start at the bottom

locution verbale (débuter à un poste subalterne)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Ce chef d'entreprise a démarré en bas de l'échelle.

begin at the beginning

locution verbale (expliquer depuis le début)

start a new life

locution verbale (changer profondément son mode de vie)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

have only just begun

(ce n'est que le début)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Il a déjà trois tours d'avance et la course ne fait que commencer.

to start with, to begin with

locution adverbiale (déjà, d'abord)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Pour commencer, je souhaiterais rappeler quelques définitions.

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Related words of commencer

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.