Hola Joel. The "comenzar" and "empezar" verbs are synonyms. The difference is where they are used: in Spain we prefer the "empezar" verb for coloquial terms and "comenzar" verb for literature texts or books. Instead, in Latin America the "comenzar" verb can be use in any context. Saludos. Antonio

They are almost identical in meaning; however, "comenzar" can be used to express an action that begins another process (as in "start"--its cognate "to commence"). "Empezar", like comenzar, means to begin but it lacks that extra nuance of meaning but I don't think native speakers differentiate between them much.

Hola Joel, Aquí en Latino América "comenzar" y "empezar" se usan de la misma forma. You can say for instance: Vamos a comenzar la lección / vamos a empezar la lección = Let's start the lesson. ¿Cuándo empezamos? /¿Cuándo comenzamos? = When do we start? Extra Tips: You can make noun of verbs. For instance "to begin" is a verb but you can make it a noun by ending it with "-ing" -> "the beginning" This happens only with the verb "comenzar"; you can say "Es el comienzo de un nuevo año = It's the beginning of a new year" We cannot do that with the verb "empezar". It would be totally wrong to say "Es el empiezo de.." Good luck with your spanish learning! Saludos Andrea