encommencer

French

Etymology

From Middle French encommencer (“to start”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.se/

• Audio

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Verb

encommencer

1. (obsolete, transitive) to begin, start, initiate, or commence

Conjugation

This verb is part of a group of -er verbs for which 'c' is softened to a 'ç' before the vowels 'a' and 'o'.

Conjugation of encommencer (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	encommencer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	encommençant /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		encommencé /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.se/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	encommence /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	encommences /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	encommence /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	encommençons /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɔ̃/	encommencez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.se/	encommencent /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/
	imperfect	encommençais /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/	encommençais /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/	encommençait /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/	encommencions /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sjɔ̃/	encommenciez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sje/	encommençaient /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛ/
	past historic2	encommençai /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.se/	encommenças /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sa/	encommença /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sa/	encommençâmes /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sam/	encommençâtes /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sat/	encommencèrent /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɛʁ/
	future	encommencerai /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁe/	encommenceras /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁa/	encommencera /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁa/	encommencerons /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/	encommencerez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁe/	encommenceront /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɔ̃/
	conditional	encommencerais /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/	encommencerais /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/	encommencerait /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/	encommencerions /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sə.ʁjɔ̃/	encommenceriez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sə.ʁje/	encommenceraient /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	encommence /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	encommences /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	encommence /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	encommencions /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sjɔ̃/	encommenciez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sje/	encommencent /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/
	imperfect2	encommençasse /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sas/	encommençasses /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sas/	encommençât /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sa/	encommençassions /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sa.sjɔ̃/	encommençassiez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sa.sje/	encommençassent /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	encommence /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃s/	—	encommençons /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.sɔ̃/	encommencez /ɑ̃.kɔ.mɑ̃.se/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Middle French

Etymology

Old French encoumencer.

Verb

encommencer

1. to begin; to start

Conjugation

• As parler except c becomes ç before a and o. May remain c in older manuscripts.
• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

Conjugation of encommencer

infinitive	simple	encommencer
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2	simple	encommençant
	compound	present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle		encommencé
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ie (i’)	tu	il, elle	nous	vous	ilz, elles
(simple tenses)	present	encommence	encommences	encommence	encommençons	encommencez	encommencent
	imperfect	encommençois, encommençoys	encommençois, encommençoys	encommençoit, encommençoyt	encommencions, encommençons	encommenciez, encommencyez	encommençoient, encommençoyent
	past historic	encommença	encommenças	encommença	encommençasmes	encommençastes	encommencerent
	future	encommencerai, encommenceray	encommenceras	encommencera	encommencerons	encommencerez	encommenceront
	conditional	encommencerois, encommenceroys	encommencerois, encommenceroys	encommenceroit, encommenceroyt	encommencerions, encommenceryons	encommenceriez, encommenceryez	encommenceroient, encommenceroyent
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que ie (i’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	encommence	encommences	encommence	encommençons	encommencez	encommencent
	imperfect	encommençasse	encommençasses	encommençast	encommençassions	encommençassiez	encommençassent
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	encommence	—	encommençons	encommencez	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180).