Good to know. Irregular (strong) verb: the stem changes. Learn the key forms together and the rest follows.
beginnen in every tense
The three you'll use most are highlighted: Präsens for now, Perfekt for the past when you speak, Futur I for later.
Präsens
now
| ich | beginneI begin |
|---|---|
| du | beginnstyou begin |
| er/sie/es | beginnthe/she begins |
| wir | beginnenwe begin |
| ihr | beginntyou begin |
| sie/Sie | beginnenthey begin |
Präteritum
past, mostly written
| ich | begannI began |
|---|---|
| du | begannstyou began |
| er/sie/es | begannhe/she began |
| wir | begannenwe began |
| ihr | beganntyou began |
| sie/Sie | begannenthey began |
Perfekt
past, spoken, with haben
| ich | habe begonnenI have begun |
|---|---|
| du | hast begonnenyou have begun |
| er/sie/es | hat begonnenhe/she has begun |
| wir | haben begonnenwe have begun |
| ihr | habt begonnenyou have begun |
| sie/Sie | haben begonnenthey have begun |
Plusquamperfekt
had done
| ich | hatte begonnenI had begun |
|---|---|
| du | hattest begonnenyou had begun |
| er/sie/es | hatte begonnenhe/she had begun |
| wir | hatten begonnenwe had begun |
| ihr | hattet begonnenyou had begun |
| sie/Sie | hatten begonnenthey had begun |
Futur I
will do
| ich | werde beginnenI will begin |
|---|---|
| du | wirst beginnenyou will begin |
| er/sie/es | wird beginnenhe/she will begin |
| wir | werden beginnenwe will begin |
| ihr | werdet beginnenyou will begin |
| sie/Sie | werden beginnenthey will begin |
Imperativ
telling someone to do it
| du | Beginn! |
|---|---|
| ihr | Beginnt! |
| Sie | Beginnen Sie! |
beginnen in use
- A1
Der Film beginnt um 20 Uhr.
The film starts at 8 pm.
- A2
Das Konzert hat schon begonnen.
The concert has already started.
- A2
Wir beginnen mit Übung 1.
We'll start with exercise 1.
- B1
Im Mai begann sie ihre neue Arbeit.
In May she started her new job.
Good to know
- Irregular: begann, begonnen. No ge-.
- 'beginnen' is a bit more formal than 'anfangen'.
- Goes with: mit + Dativ (mit der Arbeit beginnen); um + time
Build it yourself.
Ziplex has a Verben bauen game: build verb forms from tiles, with the verbs from your own posts. Plus short posts at your level to see them in action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is beginnen with haben or sein in the Perfekt?
beginnen takes haben. For example: habe begonnen.
What is the past tense of beginnen?
Präteritum: begann. Perfekt: habe begonnen.
Is beginnen a regular verb?
No, it's irregular (strong): the stem changes.