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How to Say ‘So, I'll start with the first part.’ in French

Alors, je commence par la première partie.

ah-lohr zhuh koh-MAHNS par lah pruh-MYEHR par-TEE

[ah-lohr zhuh koh-MAHNS par lah pruh-MYEHR par-TEE]

💬 Usage Tip: Commencer par means "start with", using par where English uses "with". For example, Je commence par le contexte "I'll start with the background".

Phrase Breakdown

Alors, je commence

ah-lohr zhuh koh-MAHNS

So, I'll start

'Alors' is a common opener, said 'a-lor'. 'Commence' has a nasal 'men' sound: 'ko-mans'.

Example

Alors, je commence tout de suite.

So, I'll start right away.

Words in this phrase

Alors

[ah-lohr]

Conjunction used to show consequence or result.

Example

Alors, qu'est-ce qu'on fait?

So, what do we do?

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

commence

[koh-MAHNS]

start / begin

Form of 'commencer'; with 'on' it means 'we start'.

Example

On commence par respirer.

We start by breathing.

par la première partie.

par lah pruh-MYEHR par-TEE

with the first part.

'Commencer par' means 'to start with'. Keep 'par la' light and quick.

Example

On finit par la première partie.

We finish with the first part.

Words in this phrase

par

[par]

with, by

Preposition; with commencer it means to start with something.

Example

On commence par un café.

We start with a coffee.

[lah]

the

A definite article preceding a noun.

Example

La porte est ouverte.

The door is open.

première

[pruh-MYEHR]

first

Feminine form of 'premier'.

Example

C'est ma première réunion.

It's my first meeting.

partie

[par-TEE]

part

Feminine noun: a section of something.

Example

Cette partie est plus sombre.

This part is darker.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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