Begun

Begun is the past participle of the verb begin in modern English. It is used with auxiliary verbs such as have, has, or had to form perfect tenses, and can appear in passive constructions with be. Examples: They have begun the project. The project has begun. The work has been begun. In many contexts, the form begun signals a completed or initiated action relative to another time.

Begun is not used as the simple past tense. The simple past form of begin is began. For example, “The ceremony began at noon” is correct, while “The ceremony begun at noon” is not standard in contemporary English.

Etymology: Begun comes from Old English beginnan, “to begin,” and is related to other Germanic language forms such as Dutch beginnen and German beginnen. The English past participle is formed with the -en suffix, a pattern shared by several inherited verbs in Germanic languages.

Usage notes: In modern English, begun appears most often in perfect tenses (have begun, has begun, had begun) or in passive constructions (has been begun). It is less common as a standalone adjective and typically appears only in contexts that require a past participle rather than a past tense form like began.

See also: begin, began, beginning, irregular verbs.