Italian Phrase
Vorrei cominciare con…
Meaning
Literally, ‘I would like to start with…’. It is a polite way to introduce the first point of a discussion, a lesson, a presentation, or any activity where you need to specify the initial element.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to begin a conversation, a meeting, a language lesson, or a project and you need to state the first item you’ll address. It works both in formal and informal settings, but the conditional ‘vorrei’ adds a courteous tone.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vorreicominciarecon...
Vorrei (conditional of volere)
‘Vorrei’ is the first‑person singular conditional of ‘volere’ and is used to make polite requests, similar to ‘I would like…’ in English.
Cominciare (infinitive)
‘Cominciare’ is the infinitive form of the verb ‘to start’. It follows the conditional verb without any conjugation.
Con (preposition)
‘Con’ means ‘with’ and introduces the element you want to start with; it can be followed by a noun, a pronoun or a clause.
Ellipsis (…)
The three dots indicate that the speaker will add the specific item later, making the phrase a useful starter in many contexts.
🗨In Conversation
Vorrei cominciare con la presentazione dei risultati del trimestre.
I would like to start with the presentation of the quarter’s results.
Perfetto, procediamo.
Perfect, let's proceed.
✕Common Mistakes
Voglio cominciare con…
‘Voglio’ is the present indicative of ‘volere’ and sounds too demanding; use ‘Vorrei’ for politeness.
Vorrei iniziare con… (acceptable, but watch for verb‑preposition agreement in other contexts).
‘Iniziare’ is correct, but pairing it with ‘Vorrei’ is more common than ‘Vorrei cominciare’; both are acceptable, yet learners often mix the two forms.
Vorrei cominciare con il amico.
When the following noun starts with a vowel, the preposition contracts to ‘con l’’. Forgetting the contraction sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Mi piacerebbe iniziare con…
I would like to begin with…
Desidero cominciare con…
I wish to start with…
Vorrei iniziare con…
I would like to start with…
Cultural Tip
In Italian, using the conditional (vorrei, potrei, mi piacerebbe) softens a request and is considered more polite, especially in professional or formal contexts. In casual conversation among friends, you might hear the more direct ‘Voglio cominciare con…’, but it can sound abrupt if used with strangers or superiors.