Begin Began Begun
[A2] Begin Began Begun: English verb usage explained. Learn how to use begin, began, and begun correctly in everyday English with examples and common irregularities.
Begin forms
“Begin” is an irregular verb with three key forms: the base form begin, the past simple began, and the past participle begun. Use begin for present and infinitives, began for finished past events, and begun with auxiliary verbs to build perfect tenses and passive voice. Learning which situations need began versus begun is the main point of this set.
“Begin” es un verbo irregular con tres formas clave: la forma base begin, el pasado simple began, y el participio pasado begun. Usa begin para el presente y los infinitivos, began para eventos pasados terminados, y begun con verbos auxiliares para formar tiempos perfectos y la voz pasiva. Aprender en qué situaciones se usa began frente a begun es el punto principal de este conjunto.
Base: begin
Use begin for the present tense with I, you, we, they, and after modals like will, can, should. It also appears in the infinitive to begin and in the -ing form beginning for progressive tenses. The base form does not show past time by itself.
Usa begin para el tiempo presente con I, you, we, they, y después de modales como will, can, should. También aparece en el infinitivo to begin y en la forma -ing beginning para los tiempos progresivos. La forma base no indica tiempo pasado por sí sola.
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Past: began
Use began as the simple past form for actions that started in the past and are viewed as completed or as a past fact. It does not need an auxiliary verb and should not follow have or be. If you can replace the verb with another simple past form like went or saw, began usually fits.
Usa began como la forma de pasado simple para acciones que comenzaron en el pasado y se consideran completadas o como un hecho pasado. No necesita un verbo auxiliar y no debe ir seguido de have o be. Si puedes reemplazar el verbo por otra forma de pasado simple como went o saw, began suele encajar.
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Participle: begun
Use begun as the past participle, which requires an auxiliary such as have, has, had, or be. It commonly appears in perfect tenses to connect a past start to another time reference. Begun cannot stand alone as the main verb without an auxiliary.
Usa begun como el participio pasado, que requiere un auxiliar como have, has, had, o be. Comúnmente aparece en tiempos perfectos para conectar un inicio pasado con otra referencia temporal. Begun no puede funcionar como verbo principal sin un auxiliar.
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Perfect tenses
Use have or has with begun to form the present perfect when the start matters now, or when the exact time is not the focus. Use had with begun for the past perfect when one past start happened before another past event. The auxiliary carries the tense, and begun stays the participle.
Usa have o has con begun para formar el present perfect cuando el inicio importa ahora, o cuando el tiempo exacto no es el foco. Usa had con begun para el past perfect cuando un inicio pasado ocurrió antes de otro evento pasado. El auxiliar lleva el tiempo, y begun permanece como participio.
Subject | 🇪🇸 Español Sujeto | Form | 🇪🇸 Español Forma | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 I | 👤 I |  have begun | 🧩 have begun |  I have begun the project. | 💬 I have begun the project. |
| you | 👤 you | have begun | 🧩 have begun | You have begun to understand. | 💬 You have begun to understand. |
| he | 👤 he | has begun | 🧩 has begun | He has begun a new job. | 💬 He has begun a new job. |
| she | 👤 she | has begun | 🧩 has begun | She has begun to cook. | 💬 She has begun to cook. |
| it | 👤 it | has begun | 🧩 has begun | It has begun to rain. | 💬 It has begun to rain. |
| we | 👤 we | have begun | 🧩 have begun | We have begun the meeting. | 💬 We have begun the meeting. |
| they | 👤 they | have begun | 🧩 have begun | They have begun work. | 💬 They have begun work. |
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Progressive forms
Use beginning with be to show an action in progress: am, is, are beginning in the present; was, were beginning in the past. This focuses on the process of starting rather than the fact that it started. Beginning is not interchangeable with began or begun because it expresses ongoing action.
Usa Beginning con be para mostrar una acción en progreso: am, is, are beginning en el presente; was, were beginning en el pasado. Esto se centra en el proceso de iniciar más que en el hecho de que empezó. Beginning no es intercambiable con began o begun porque expresa una acción en curso.
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Passive voice
Use begun with be to form the passive when the subject receives the action of starting. This is common in formal or informational writing about events, projects, or processes. The agent can be omitted if it is unknown or unimportant.
Usa begun con be para formar la pasiva cuando el sujeto recibe la acción de empezar. Esto es común en escritura formal o informativa sobre eventos, proyectos o procesos. El agente puede omitirse si es desconocido o poco importante.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
 Use be + begun for passive | 📌 Use be + begun for passive | The ceremony was begun at noon. | 💬 The ceremony was begun at noon. |
| Use get + begun for informal passive | 📌 Use get + begun for informal passive | The project got begun late. | 💬 The project got begun late. |
| Keep begun with an auxiliary in passive | 📌 Keep begun with an auxiliary in passive | The work has been begun already. | 💬 The work has been begun already. |
Time markers
Certain time expressions strongly suggest a specific form. Simple past markers like yesterday or last night usually go with began. Perfect markers like already, just, and yet often go with have begun or had begun, depending on the time frame.
Determinadas expresiones de tiempo sugieren fuertemente una forma específica. Los marcadores del pasado simple como yesterday o last night suelen ir con began. Los marcadores del perfecto como already, just y yet a menudo van con have begun o had begun, dependiendo del marco temporal.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finished past time often uses began | 📌 Finished past time often uses began | We began yesterday. | 💬 We began yesterday. |
| Result up to now often uses have begun | 📌 Result up to now often uses have begun | We have already begun. | 💬 We have already begun. |
| Earlier past start uses had begun | 📌 Earlier past start uses had begun | They had begun before I arrived. | 💬 They had begun before I arrived. |
Opción múltiple
Which sentence correctly matches the time marker 'already' with the correct form?
Fixed patterns
Begin appears in several common grammatical patterns that control what follows. Begin to + verb is frequent in careful writing, while begin + -ing is also common and sometimes feels more natural in conversation. Begin with + noun describes what you do first in a sequence.
Begin aparece en varios patrones gramaticales comunes que controlan lo que sigue. Begin to + verbo es frecuente en escritura cuidadosa, mientras begin + -ing también es común y a veces se siente más natural en la conversación. Begin with + noun describe lo que haces primero en una secuencia.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| begin to + verb | 📌 begin to + verb | She began to speak. | 💬 She began to speak. |
| begin + verb-ing | 📌 begin + verb-ing | She began speaking. | 💬 She began speaking. |
| begin with + noun | 📌 begin with + noun | Begin with the basics. | 💬 Begin with the basics. |
Pronunciation
Begin has stress on the second syllable, which affects vowel clarity and rhythm in connected speech. The -un in begun sounds like a short vowel similar to the vowel in fun in many accents. Listening for stress helps you distinguish begin from begun in fast speech.
Begin tiene el acento en la segunda sílaba, lo que afecta la claridad de las vocales y el ritmo en el habla conectada. El -un en begun suena como una vocal corta similar a la vocal en fun en muchos acentos. Escuchar el acento te ayuda a distinguir begin de begun en el habla rápida.
Rule | 🇪🇸 Español Regla | Description | 🇪🇸 Español Descripción | Notation | 🇪🇸 Español Notación | Example | 🇪🇸 Español Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stress pattern | 🔊 Patrón de acento | Second syllable is stressed | La segunda sílaba recibe el acento | bi GIN | bi GIN | Begin the lesson. | Begin the lesson. |
| Past vowel change | 🔊 Cambio de vocal en el pasado | Past simple changes the middle vowel sound | El pasado simple cambia la vocal media | bi GAN | bi GAN | They began at six. | They began at six. |
| Participle vowel | 🔊 Vocal del participio | Participle uses the -un vowel like fun | El participio usa la vocal -un como en fun | bi GUN | bi GUN | It has begun. | It has begun. |
