Began vs. Begun

English verbs are simple to work with when they are regular—i.e., they follow an obvious pattern for conjugating their past tense and past participle.

Verb Infinitive	Present Tense	Past Tense	Past Participle
to breathe	breathe, breathes	breathed	breathed
to dine	dine, dines	dined	dined
to jump	jump, jumps	jumped	jumped

The pattern is basic and easy to recognize. However, English also includes many verbs that set their own patterns, sometimes without apparent reason. We refer to these as irregular verbs.

Verb Infinitive	Present Tense	Past Tense	Past Participle
to draw	draw, draws	drew	drawn
to lie	lie, lies	lay	lain
to swim	swim, swims	swam	swum

As we see, irregular verbs have distinct conjugations that often provide little assistance in understanding how to conjugate other irregular verbs. We simply learn and remember them.

Another irregular verb is begin, which in its infinitive form means “to start; originate, arise; come into existence; proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action.”

Here’s how we would conjugate begin as an irregular verb:

Verb Infinitive	Present Tense	Past Tense	Past Participle
to begin	begin, begins	began	begun

Begin

The present tense of begin is either begin or begins depending on whether it is being used in the first, second, or third person.

first person singular	I begin		first person plural	we begin
second person singular	you begin		second person plural	you begin
third person singular	he/she/it begins		third person plural	they begin

Examples

I begin my night class on Wednesday.

Scott begins soccer practice at 4:00 p.m.

They usually begin serving dessert right after supper.

What Is the Difference Between Began and Begun? Began

The past tense of begin is began for the first, second, and third person singular and plural.

first person singular	I began		first person plural	we began
second person singular	you began		second person plural	you began
third person singular	he/she/it began		third person plural	they began

Examples

I’m sure the paint on the boat began peeling last summer.

It began to rain while I was locked out of the house.

We began our drive to Arkansas this morning.

What Is the Difference Between Began and Begun? Begun

The past participle of begin is begun for the first, second, and third person singular and plural. It is commonly used in perfect tenses (e.g., past perfect) and the passive voice.

first person singular	I had begun		first person plural	we had begun
second person singular	you had begun		second person plural	you had begun
third person singular	he/she/it had begun		third person plural	they had begun

Examples

Shane had begun playing piano before he turned seven years old. (past perfect)

The sun has begun to set over the sea. (present perfect)

The document research was begun by Loretta’s paralegal. (passive voice)

Related Topics

Ring vs. Rang vs. Rung
Why Irregular Verbs Are Strong

Pop Quiz

Complete each sentence with the proper form of begin (begin/begins, began, begun).

1. The opening ceremonies for the competition have _______.

2. We _______ learning as soon as we recognize how little we know.

3. Patricia _________ preschool tomorrow.

4. The construction for the new civic center was ________ last month.

5. The parade ________ before I could get there on time.

 

Pop Quiz Answers

1. The opening ceremonies for the competition have begun.

2. We begin learning as soon as we recognize how little we know.

3. Patricia begins preschool tomorrow.

4. The construction for the new civic center was begun last month.

5. The parade began before I could get there on time.

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