began

began is the simple past tense of the English verb begin. It describes the start of an action or event that occurred in the past. Began is irregular: the present tense is begin, and the past participle is begun. The phrase can also appear in journalism and storytelling to place events in a past time frame.

Originating in Old English as beginnan, the form began developed from Proto-Germanic roots associated with starting or entering into existence. Related forms appear in other Germanic languages, reflecting a shared origin for the idea of coming into being. The exact historical development is obscured by the passage of time, but began has long been the standard past tense of begin in English.

In modern use, began appears in simple past constructions: The meeting began at noon. In perfect tenses, the past participle begun is used: The meeting has begun. Began is used for events initiated at a defined time in the past and completed or continuing in the past.

Common phrases include began to, began to happen, began with. When reporting sequences, began is often replaced by started in informal writing, but began remains common in formal or narrative prose. Spelling remains constant; there is no apostrophe.