began: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
A1Neutral (suitable for all registers, from formal to informal)
Quick answer
What does “began” mean?
The simple past tense of the verb 'begin,' meaning to start or initiate an action, process, or event.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The simple past tense of the verb 'begin,' meaning to start or initiate an action, process, or event.
Can imply the commencement of an emotional state, a relationship, a career phase, or a historical period. Also used metaphorically to describe the origin or first stage of an idea or movement.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No differences in form or core meaning. Spelling, grammar, and usage are identical.
Connotations
Identical connotations. No regional nuance.
Frequency
Equally frequent in both dialects, given its fundamental grammatical role.
Grammar
How to Use “began” in a Sentence
NP began V-ing (He began talking.)NP began to V-inf (He began to talk.)NP began (The show began.)NP began NP (He began his speech.)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “began” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The match began at half three.
- He began his career in Manchester.
- It began raining quite heavily.
American English
- The game began at 3:30.
- She began her career in Chicago.
- It began to rain really hard.
adverb
British English
- (None. 'Began' is not an adverb.)
American English
- (None. 'Began' is not an adverb.)
adjective
British English
- (None. 'Began' is not an adjective.)
American English
- (None. 'Began' is not an adjective.)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe the start of projects, initiatives, financial quarters, or tenure. 'The new fiscal year began in April.'
Academic
Common in historical and process descriptions. 'The experiment began under controlled conditions.'
Everyday
Ubiquitous for describing past starts of activities, feelings, or events. 'It began to rain just as we left.'
Technical
Used in timelines, process flows, and system initializations. 'The initialization sequence began upon power-up.'
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “began”
- Using 'begun' instead of 'began' (e.g., 'He begun to cry').
- Using 'began' with present time reference (e.g., 'Tomorrow, the course began.').
- Spelling as 'beggan' or 'beggin'.
- Confusion in negative past: 'He didn't began' instead of 'He didn't begin'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Began' is the simple past tense and is used without an auxiliary verb (e.g., 'It began yesterday'). 'Begun' is the past participle and must be used with an auxiliary verb like 'have,' 'has,' or 'had' (e.g., 'It has begun').
'Began' is an irregular verb form. The base form is 'begin,' the simple past is 'began,' and the past participle is 'begun.'
Yes, both are grammatically correct and largely interchangeable. 'Began to cry' can slightly emphasise the immediacy of starting, while 'began crying' can feel more descriptive of the ongoing action, but the difference is very subtle.
No. 'Began' is strictly past tense. For future events, use 'will begin,' 'begins,' or 'is going to begin.'
The simple past tense of the verb 'begin,' meaning to start or initiate an action, process, or event.
Began is usually neutral (suitable for all registers, from formal to informal) in register.
Began: in British English it is pronounced /bɪˈɡæn/, and in American English it is pronounced /bɪˈɡæn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It all began when...”
- “began at the bottom”
- “began life as”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Began is the past tense of begin. They share B-E-G. Remember: "I begin today, I BEGan yesterday."
Conceptual Metaphor
BEGINNING IS A STARTING POINT / JOURNEY ('embarked on a career'), BEGINNING IS BIRTH ('a movement was born'), BEGINNING IS OPENING ('a new chapter began').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses 'began' correctly?