As far as I know, both words mean the same thing in English — “start”. Is there any difference in the meaning or in the usage of the two verbs?
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4You've got several verbs in English to express the idea of a beginning as well: start, begin, commence. They all have their own specific uses too, unfortunately it seems the semantics don't overlap the same way as in French.– didiercDec 4, 2014 at 15:02
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Does this answer your question? Difference between “débuter”, “lancer”, “commencer” and “démarrer”– user1147844May 1, 2023 at 1:20
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5 Answers
Démarrer implies some initial impulse or effort. Etymologically it comes from désamarrer (i.e. “undock” a boat, which is not necessarily a trivial matter). An extended figurative use slowly emerged, competing with the use of commencer in the beginning of the 20th century, but commencer is still far more common.
One can often substitute one for the other, but a slight nuance exists. In the following sentence:
Il a démarré sa carrière à la télévision.
the TV appears more relevant to the development of this person's career than in:
Il a commencé sa carrière à la télévision.
answered Dec 4, 2014 at 10:22
Dans un registre familier, ils sont PRESQUE interchangeables (on évitera par exemple de dire "commencer le moteur").
Il n'y a malheureusement pas de règles précises.
Je traduirais plutôt :
Démarrer -> to kick off
Commencer -> to begin
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@user3182445: Not really, it depends on context. You can translate both by start but it's too vague in most cases.– TotoNov 29, 2014 at 11:31
Démarrer est lié à la notion de nouveauté, d'effort. Commencer est plutôt lié à l’immédiateté de l'action.
As in so many cases in French, there's no specific rule but if you're French, you know, if you're not French, you'll never know. They learn it through osmosis I think. The best I can get is demarrer implies some effort whereas commence is something which just kind of happens. So starting cars, chainsaws, conversation tends to be demarrer but if you look over your shoulder and see something has already started, it's commencer. Best I can do but no one is going to roast you for mixing them up.
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1Welcome to FL. Please read the Help pages and more specifically how to answer questions. Saying "As in so many cases in French, there's no specific rule" or "if you're not French, you'll never know" are general statements (and can be controversial) and would need to be backed by specific examples. When you write in French do not forget to accentuate the letters that need to be accentuated.– NoneNov 17, 2019 at 10:35