In modern English “began” is the simple past tense of “begin” “he began to study for the test at midnight.” But the past participle form—preceded by a helping verb—is “begun.” “By morning, he had begun to forget everything he'd studied that night.”
How do you use begin?
Lesson Summary
- 'Begin' is the present verb tense of the verb which means 'to start. ...
- 'Began' is the simple past form of the verb, used to show things happening in the past.
- 'Begun' is the past participle which is used with helping verbs to form the perfect tenses.
Has began vs begun?
These two words are both different forms of the past tense of begin. To know which one to use, you must know if you are using the simple past tense or the perfect tense. Began should occur in the simple past tense, for actions that completed in the past. Begun should occur in the perfect tenses, as the past participle.
