beginnen

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch beginnen, from Old Dutch biginnan, from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈɣɪnə(n)/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: be‧gin‧nen
• Rhymes: -ɪnən

Verb

beginnen

1. (ergative) to begin

Inflection

Synonyms

• starten

Antonyms

• stoppen

Related terms

• begin
• beginsel

Descendants

• Afrikaans: begin
• Berbice Creole Dutch: bigin
• Jersey Dutch: bexinne
• Negerhollands: begin, bigin
• →? Sranan Tongo: bigin
  • → Lokono: bigindin

German

Etymology

From Middle High German beginnen, from Old High German biginnan, from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną. Cognate with Low German beginnen, Dutch beginnen, West Frisian begjinne, and English begin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈɡɪnən/, ,

• audio (Germany)

  (file)

• audio (Germany)

  (file)

• audio (Austria)

  (file)

Verb

beginnen (class 3 strong, third-person singular present beginnt, past tense begann, past participle begonnen, past subjunctive begänne or begönne, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to begin; to commence; to be started

   Der Vortrag hat begonnen. ― The lecture has begun.

2. (chiefly literary, transitive or with mit) to start something; to begin something

   Er hat den Vortrag begonnen. ― He has started the lecture.

   Er hat mit dem Vortrag begonnen. ― He has started the lecture.

Usage notes

• Beginnen is relatively rare in colloquial German and is most often replaced with anfangen. This is particularly true of the sense “to start something”.
• In literary German, beginnen is often preferred to anfangen, though both are perfectly acceptable.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• Beginnen
• Beginner
• Beginn
• beginnend
• begonnen

Related terms

• beenden

Further reading

• “beginnen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “beginnen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “beginnen” in Duden online

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch biginnan

Verb

beginnen

1. to begin, to start
2. to arise, to originate

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• beginninge
• beginsel

Descendants

• Dutch: beginnen
• Limburgish: beginne

Further reading

• “beghinnen (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “beginnen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• begynne, bigynne

Etymology

Inherited from Old English beginnan, from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan.

Verb

beginnen

1. start; begin
   • 1474, Caxton, Game and Playe of the Chesse‎:

     And than we wyll begynne at the pawne whiche standeth to fore the rooke on the right side of the kinge for as moche as this pawne apperteyneth to serue the vicaire or lieutenant of the kynge and other officers vnder hym of necessaryes of vitayll

     And then we will begin at the pawn which stands before the rook on the right side of the king, for as much as this pawn appertains to serve the vicar or lieutenant of the king and other officers under him of vital necessity

Derived terms

• ginnen

Descendants

• English: begin
• Scots: begin
• Yola: begaan (preterite)

Further reading

• “biginnen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle High German

Etymology

Inherited from Old High German biginnan. Cognate with English begin and Dutch beginnen.

Verb

beginnen (class 3 strong, third-person singular present beginnet, past tense began, past participle begunnen, past subjunctive begüne, auxiliary hân)

1. to begin

Conjugation

Descendants

• German: beginnen

References

• Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “beginnen”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke‎, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel