What’s the past tense of “begin”?
The word (and verb) to begin (present tense), means “to start doing something; to do the first part of something”, as stated by the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. Without further delay, let us begin today’s lesson on this irregular verb form: begin/began/begun.
Verb forms of “begin”
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I begin | I began | I will begin |
| Continuous | I am beginning | I was beginning | I will be beginning |
| Perfect | I have begun | I had begun | I will have begun |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been beginning | I had been beginning | I will have been beginning |
When to use began or begun?
| simple past | The concert began with a fanfare from the brass section. |
| present perfect | The project has already begun, so we need to start working on it now. |
The first sentence uses began, which is the simple past conjugation. We communicate in the simple past to refer to actions or events that took place entirely in the past.
The past participle form is begun. It’s clear when a participle vs. a simple tense is in use because participles come with auxiliary verbs to create perfect or continuous tenses in grammar; such as the past perfect, past continuous, and present perfect/continuous aspects in grammar.
To form the past perfect tense, use the past participle (e.g., begun) with the auxiliary had. To form the present perfect tense, pair the past participle with have/has (has in the third-person present singular). These aspects of time describe describe events as continuous, or as ongoing for a certain period/slice of time up until another point.
Sentences with “begin” (present simple)
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | I will begin my presentation with an overview of the company’s history. (future tense)
They always begin their day with a cup of coffee. We need to begin planning for the project as soon as possible. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. sharp. (future tense) Let’s begin by reviewing the instructions and making sure we understand them. |
Sentences with “began” (simple past)
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | The concert began with a fanfare from the brass section.
She began her career as a journalist at a local newspaper. I first began to learn how to play guitar when I was 10 years old. The company began to expand its operations overseas in the late 1990s. He began to feel better after taking the medication for a few days. |
Sentences with “begun” (past participle)
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | She has begun to study Spanish so she can communicate better with her coworkers.
By the time I arrived, the storm had already begun. The new CEO has begun to implement changes to the company’s strategy. We have only just begun to explore the possibilities of this new technology. |
“began” vs. “begun,” recall that “began” is for the simple past (like “it began”), but “begun” always needs an auxiliary verb like “has,” “have,” or “had.”.
Origin of the word/verb begin
Old English beginnan “to attempt, undertake,” a rare word beside the more usual form onginnan from be- + West Germanic *ginnan, which is of obscure etymology and found only in compounds, perhaps “to open, open up” with sense evolution from “open” to “begin.”
Synonyms of begin
These words have similar meanings to “begin” and can be used interchangeably depending on the context:
- commence
- start
- initiate
- launch
- embark
- undertake
- kick off
- open
- inaugurate
- trigger
- activate
- set in motion
- provoke
- fire up
- get underway
- set out
- start off
- enter upon
Phrases with begin
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| begin with a bang | To start something in an exciting or impressive way. |
| begin at the beginning | To start from the very start, often to explain something clearly. |
| begin again | To start over or restart from the beginning. |
| begin to see the light | To start to understand after confusion. |
| begin with the end in mind | To start a project by planning or knowing your goal. |
| begin from scratch | To start with nothing or from the very beginning. |
Worksheet: begin conjugations
The concert ______ with a powerful drum solo that excited the crowd.
By the time we arrived, the ceremony had already ______.
I am just ______ to understand the complexity of the problem.
Please ______ whenever you are ready.
The final chapter of the book ______ with a surprising twist.
FAQs
What is the simple past of begin?
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When should I use began?
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When do I use begun?
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Can began be used with have or had?
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Can begun be used as the simple past?
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Yash, D. "How to Use Began or Begun (Explained, With Examples)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/began-or-begun/.
