alustanud

Alustanud is an Estonian word that serves as the past active participle of the verb alustada (to begin, to start). It denotes a completed action of starting and is commonly translated into English as “having started” or simply “started.” As a participle, alustanud functions similarly to an adjective in certain contexts and can describe a noun or act predicatively with a form of the auxiliary verb olema (to be).

Attributive use is common in referring to things that have begun. For example, in a noun phrase a phrase like alustanud projekt (a project that has started) or alustanud tööd (work that has begun) describes the state of the noun. In the plural, the participle agrees with the noun it modifies, yielding phrases such as alustanud projektid (started projects).

Predicative use occurs with the auxiliary verb olema to form perfect tenses. For example, ta on alustanud means “he has started,” and me oleme alustanud means “we have started.” The form is therefore versatile for expressing completed beginnings in various tenses.

Etymologically, alustanud comes from the verb alustama, which is linked to alg- meaning beginning (as seen in algus, algama). The participle shares this root, underscoring its role in marking actions that have already begun.

See also: alustada, algama, algus, past participles in Estonian, Estonian grammar.