Italian Phrase
Cominciamo con...
Meaning
Literally ‘We start with…’, this phrase is used to launch a sequence, a lesson, a recipe, or any activity by naming the first item or step. The ellipsis invites the listener to expect what follows.
When to use
Use it at the beginning of a presentation, a classroom lesson, a cooking demonstration, or a casual conversation when you want to suggest the first point of focus.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Cominciamocon
Cominciamo
First‑person plural present indicative of the verb *cominciare* (to begin). It agrees with the subject ‘we’ and is used to propose an action that includes the speaker.
con
Preposition meaning ‘with’. It introduces the element that will be the starting point of the activity.
🗨In Conversation
Cominciamo con l'antipasto.
Let's start with the appetizer.
Perfetto, ho già preparato il bruschette.
Perfect, I've already prepared the bruschetta.
✕Common Mistakes
Cominciamo di...
The preposition *di* does not convey ‘with’; it changes the meaning to ‘because of’ or ‘of’. Use *con* after *cominciamo*.
Cominciamo a la pizza.
*Cominciare a* is used when the verb that follows is an infinitive (e.g., *cominciare a studiare*). For naming a noun, the correct preposition is *con*.
Cominciare con...
The verb must be conjugated to match the subject. *Cominciare* (infinitive) is incorrect here; you need *Cominciamo* for ‘we’.
↔Alternatives
Iniziamo con...
We begin with...
Partiamo da...
We start from...
Cominciamo da...
We start from...
Cultural Tip
In Italian both *cominciare* and *iniziare* mean ‘to start’, but *cominciare* often sounds a bit more informal and is the verb you’ll hear most in everyday speech. Pairing it with *con* is the standard way to introduce the first element of a series, while *da* (as in *cominciamo da…*) can be used when you want to stress the point of departure rather than the item itself.