Meaning

2 senses
  1. (ergative)To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.

    I began playing the piano at the age of five.

    Now that everyone is here, we should begin the presentation.

    anfangen, beginnen, starten

    начина́тьnačinátʹ, нача́тьnačátʹ, начина́тьсяnačinátʹsja

    почина́тиpočynáty, поча́тиpočáty, почина́тисяpočynátysja

    take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

  2. (intransitive)To come into existence.

Examples

4149 sentences
  1. Class doesn't begin until eight-thirty.

    Заняття не пончеться до половини на восьму. — deniko

    ruЗанятие не начнётся до половины девятого. — paul_lingvo

    deDer Unterricht fängt erst um halb neun an. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

  2. When did it begin to rain?

    Коли почався дощ? — deniko

    ruКогда начался дождь? — marafon

    deWann hat es angefangen zu regnen? — MUIRIEL

  3. When did you begin playing golf?

    Коли ви почали грати в гольф? — brambury

    ruКогда Вы начали играть в гольф? — al_ex_an_der

    deWann hast du angefangen, Golf zu spielen? — Pfirsichbaeumchen

  4. Our school begins at eight-thirty.

    Заняття у школі починаються о восьмій тридцять. — deniko

    ruНаши занятия начинаются в восемь тридцать. — Biga

    deUnsere Schule fängt um halb neun an. — jakov

  5. School begins at half past eight.

    Заняття почитаються о пів на дев'яту. — deniko

    ruЗанятия в школе начинаются в восемь тридцать. — noxend

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to start, to initiate (transitive):
Русский
By meaning 1
to start, to initiate (transitive):
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to start, to initiate (transitive):

Origin

From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germ

From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), from be- + base verb *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

begins, beginning, began, begun
Base formbegin · to begin
3rd person singularbegins
Present participlebeginning
Past simplebegan
Past participlebegun

irregular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theybegin
he, she, itbegins

Past simpleLesson

all personsbegan

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave begun
he, she, ithas begun

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill begin

Synonyms

16 synonyms
Close in meaning

Antonyms

1 antonyms

Word family

7 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • began to rain
  • began to cry
  • and began to
  • began doing doing
  • began to feel
  • has already begun
  • began to play
  • began to study
  • the concert begin
  • where to begin
  • about to begin
  • school begins at

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
begin — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto