Conjugation of "To Begin"
The verb "begin" is an irregular verb. (This means that "begin" does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.)The Five Forms of "To Begin"
Form | begin | Alternative Name |
---|---|---|
Base Form | begin | Infinitive Form |
The -S Form | begins | Third Person Singular Form |
Past Form | began | Simple Past Tense |
The -ING Form | beginning | Present Participle Form |
The Past Participle Form | begun | [no alternative name] |
"To Begin" in All the Tenses
The tables below show how "begin" conjugates in the past, present, and future tenses.Past Tenses
Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
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The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
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The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
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The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
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Present Tenses
Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
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The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
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The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
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The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
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Future Tenses
Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
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The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
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The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
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The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
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Most Common Irregular Verbs
The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs: Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:Most Common Irregular Verbs
The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs: Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:You might also like...
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