begynte

Begynte is the simple past tense form of the Norwegian verb begynne, meaning to begin or start. It is used to describe actions or events that began in the past. In Bokmål and Nynorsk, this tense is common in narrative prose and everyday speech to place events in time. The present tense is begynner, and the present perfect is har begynt, with begynt being the past participle.

The preterite form begynte is the same for all subjects: jeg begynte, du begynte, han begynte, vi begynte, dere begynte, de begynte. This form is typical for the verb begynne in its simple past usage. For example: I går begynte jeg på et nytt prosjekt. Arbeidet begynte for to måneder siden.

Etymology and related forms: Begynne derives from Old Norse begynna, with cognates in other North Germanic languages. The noun begynnelse means beginning, and related terms such as begynnelse, beginning and related verb forms share the same root. In modern Norwegian, begynte remains the standard past tense form used in both written and spoken language to anchor statements in the past.

See also: Begynne, Begynning.