begin
Base form
begin
/bɪˈɡɪn/
Past simple
began
/bɪˈɡæn/
Past participle
begun
/bɪˈɡʌn/
MeaningA1
to do the first part of something
life begins at forty
In use
- Question · Form 1What time does the concert begin on Saturday?
- After a modal verb · Form 1We should begin the lesson without Tom, he’s stuck in traffic.
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday it began to rain just as we reached the park.
- Past simple · Form 2Maria began her new job at the hospital last Monday.
- Present perfect · Form 3The film has already begun, so we’ll have to wait outside.
- Past perfect · Form 3By the time we found the room, the lecture had already begun.
Watch out
The vowel goes i → a → u: begin, began, begun, as in swim, swam, swum. I have began → I have begun.
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