begun

begun — verb

1. the form of the irregular verb 'begin' that is used together with 'have', 'has',

1.verbA2
Definition

the form of the irregular verb 'begin' that is used together with 'have', 'has', or 'had' to talk about actions that started in the past and may still be happening or have just finished; also used with 'be' to form passive sentences about when something was started.

Example

Imran has begun his new job at the hospital in Taipei.

present perfect: has + begun

By the time Aylin arrived, the film had already begun.

past perfect: had + begun

Common collocations
  • just begun
  • already begun
  • barely begun
  • newly begun
  • scarcely begun
  • well begun

Grammar Patterns

have/has + begun

had + begun

was/were + begun (passive)

Usage Note

Frequently confused with 'began' (the simple past form). 'Began' stands alone as a past-tense verb; 'begun' must be paired with an auxiliary verb ('have', 'has', 'had', or 'be'). This is the only sense of 'begun' — it functions solely as a past participle and does not appear as a main verb on its own.

Common Mistakes

I begun my homework yesterday.
I began my homework yesterday.
'began' is the simple past form and does not need an auxiliary verb.
She has began her new class this week.
She has begun her new class this week.
Use 'begun' (past participle), not 'began' (simple past), after 'has', 'have', or 'had'.
The project had began before the deadline.
The project had begun before the deadline.
After 'had' in the past perfect, always use the past participle.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All three words can fill the same past-participle slot in perfect tenses, but they differ in register and scope. 'Begun' is the most neutral and widely used past participle for any kind of start. 'Started' is slightly less formal and often suggests a specific action or process beginning. 'Commenced' is very formal and appears mostly in legal, academic, or ceremonial writing. 'Launched' implies a deliberate, often large-scale beginning of a project, product, or campaign. In everyday conversation, 'begun' and 'started' are interchangeable in most perfect-tense contexts, though 'started' is more frequent in spoken English. For example: 'The course has begun' sounds natural in writing; 'The course has started' is more common in speech. A ceremony 'commenced' at noon; a company 'launched' its new phone.

startedcommencedlaunched

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Begun' is the past participle of 'begin', which comes from Old English 'beginnan' ('be-' as a verb-forming prefix + '-ginnan' meaning 'to open up or start'). The past-participle form 'begun' has been in use since the early Middle English period (around the 13th century), following the strong-verb pattern where the vowel changes: begin → began → begun.