Gerundio: Ho cominciato facendo/a fare qualcosa

[edriv]

Look at these italian sentences:

"Ho cominciato a fare qualcosa"
"Ho cominciato facendo qualcosa"

How have I to translate them?

"I started doing something"
"I started doing something" ???

 

[mimitabby]

that's how I would translate them.

 

[Alfry]

Look at these italian sentences:

"Ho cominciato a fare qualcosa"
"Ho cominciato facendo qualcosa"

How have I to translate them?

"I started doing something"
"I started doing something" ???

if I say to you:
"hai fatto i compiti?" = "have you done your homework?"
you can answer:
"Ho cominciato a fare qualcosa" = I've just started doing something"

if I say to you:
"come hai iniziato a lavorare?" = "how did you start working?"
you can answer:
"Ho cominciato facendo qualcosa, poi qualcuno mi ha notato..." = "I started doing something, then someone noticed me..."

 

[lsp]

I'm sort of guessing, so I think we should hear from experts, but I think you might differentiate
#1 - I started to do something/I started doing something
#2 - I started by doing something (the means of getting started), but it's quite conversational, implying other things have been said in the conversation. Like how did you make this painting? I started by choosing a subject... Come hai fatto questo quadro? Ho cominciato scegliendo il soggetto...

 

[lsp]

Oh, sorry alfry. I missed your post...

 

[Alfry]

I'm sort of guessing, so I think we should hear from experts, but I think you might differentiate
#1 - I started to do something/I started doing something
#2 - I started by doing something (the means of getting started), but it's quite conversational, implying other things have been said in the conversation. Like how did you make this painting? I started by choosing a subject... Come hai fatto questo quadro? Ho cominciato scegliendo il soggetto...

yes,
you are completely right

 

[Alfry]

Oh, sorry alfry. I missed your post...

no problem
we were writing at the same moment

 

[edriv]

Thanks. I was not sure about this "ambiguity"!

 

[David]

I think the "key" to the proper translation in English is the preposition by.

I have started studying Ngobe.
I started studying Ngobe by learning 50 nouns and 20 verbs.

 

[edriv]

Can I not use that preposition in colloquial speaking?

 

[David]

Yes you can.

He started by coming to class about 3 minutes late. Then it was five minues, then 30 minutes. He ended up missing the class altogether during the last four weeks of the year.

 

[Silvia]

E' la differenza che passa tra:
ho cominciato col fare qualcosa
ho cominciato a fare qualcosa
ho cominciato facendo qualcosa

Però se fossi un po' più specifico...
Ho cominciato con lo scegliere il colore = I started by choosing the color
Ho cominciato a dipingere = I started to paint
Ho cominciato come artista = I started as an artist