beginnend

Beginnend is a form of the German verb beginnen, meaning to begin. It functions as the present participle and as an adjective meaning “beginning” or “starting,” used to describe something in its initiation phase or in the act of beginning.

Etymology and morphology: Beginnend is formed from the verb stem beginn- with the suffix -end, which yields the present participle in German. When used attributively, it inflects like other adjectives: der beginnende Prozess, das beginnende Projekt, die beginnende Phase; in plural: die beginnenden Prozesse.

Usage: Beginnend is common in both formal and informal contexts. Examples include: “beginnend mit dem ersten Schritt” (starting with the first step) and “eine beginnende Krankheit” (an early-stage illness). It can appear in predicative position in some constructions, but it is more typically used as a modifier to describe an ongoing or upcoming state rather than as a stand-alone predicate.

Relation to related terms: The related noun is Beginn, meaning “the beginning.” Beginnend differs from that noun by functioning as a participial adjective that describes something in its initial phase. It is part of a family of participial adjectives formed with the -end suffix, used to express ongoing processes, transitions, or stages.

See also: beginnen, Beginn, German adjectives formed from participles, temporal phrases such as “beginnend mit.” The form is primarily encountered in German-language texts and can appear in technical, narrative, and instructional writing to indicate the outset of an action or process.