Beginnen Conjugation in German
beginnen means “to begin” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 47 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about beginning at eight o'clock, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of beginnen — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich beginne um acht Uhr jeden Tag.” — “I begin at eight o'clock every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: beginnen
- English: to begin
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Pattern: strong
- Separable: no
- Participle I: beginnend
- Past participle (Partizip II): begonnen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for beginnen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read beginnen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about beginnen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle begonnen. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- Partizip I is beginnend and Partizip II is begonnen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for beginnen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | beginne |
| du | beginnst |
| er/sie/es | beginnt |
| wir | beginnen |
| ihr | beginnt |
| sie/Sie | beginnen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With beginnen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich beginne mit einem Lied jeden Tag.” — “I begin with a song every day.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | begann |
| du | begannst |
| er/sie/es | begann |
| wir | begannen |
| ihr | begannt |
| sie/Sie | begannen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With beginnen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du begannst mit einem Lied gestern.” — “You began with a song yesterday.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe begonnen |
| du | hast begonnen |
| er/sie/es | hat begonnen |
| wir | haben begonnen |
| ihr | habt begonnen |
| sie/Sie | haben begonnen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat mit einem Lied begonnen gestern.” — “He has begun with a song yesterday.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte begonnen |
| du | hattest begonnen |
| er/sie/es | hatte begonnen |
| wir | hatten begonnen |
| ihr | hattet begonnen |
| sie/Sie | hatten begonnen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten mit einem Lied begonnen vor der Party.” — “We had begun with a song before the party.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde beginnen |
| du | wirst beginnen |
| er/sie/es | wird beginnen |
| wir | werden beginnen |
| ihr | werdet beginnen |
| sie/Sie | werden beginnen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde mit einem Lied beginnen morgen.” — “I will begin with a song tomorrow.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde begonnen haben |
| du | wirst begonnen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird begonnen haben |
| wir | werden begonnen haben |
| ihr | werdet begonnen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden begonnen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst mit einem Lied begonnen haben bis morgen.” — “You will have begun with a song by tomorrow.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | beginne |
| du | beginnest |
| er/sie/es | beginne |
| wir | beginnen |
| ihr | beginnet |
| sie/Sie | beginnen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er beginne mit einem Lied.” — “It is important that he begin with a song.”
Konjunktiv II
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | begänne |
| du | begännest |
| er/sie/es | begänne |
| wir | begännen |
| ihr | begännet |
| sie/Sie | begännen |
Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich begänne mit einem Lied eines Tages.” — “I would begin with a song one day.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte begonnen |
| du | hättest begonnen |
| er/sie/es | hätte begonnen |
| wir | hätten begonnen |
| ihr | hättet begonnen |
| sie/Sie | hätten begonnen |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte mit einem Lied begonnen gestern.” — “He would have begun with a song yesterday.”
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | beginn |
| wir | beginnen |
| ihr | beginnt |
| sie | beginnen |
The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. With beginnen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Beginn mit einem Lied!” — “Begin with a song!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle | beginnend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle beginnend describes something that is beginning. The present-tense sentence “Ich beginne um acht Uhr jeden Tag.” — “I begin at eight o'clock every day.” shows the same verb in action.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle | begonnen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe um acht Uhr begonnen gestern.” — “I have begun at eight o'clock yesterday.”
Infinitive
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | beginnen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive beginnen is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde um acht Uhr beginnen morgen.” — “I will begin at eight o'clock tomorrow.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with beginnen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich beginne um acht Uhr jeden Tag.” — “I begin at eight o'clock every day.”
- “Du begannst mit einem Lied gestern.” — “You began with a song yesterday.”
- “Er hat am Morgen begonnen gestern.” — “He has begun in the morning yesterday.”
- “Wir hatten um acht Uhr begonnen vor der Party.” — “We had begun at eight o'clock before the party.”
- “Ich werde mit einem Lied beginnen morgen.” — “I will begin with a song tomorrow.”
- “Du wirst am Morgen begonnen haben bis morgen.” — “You will have begun in the morning by tomorrow.”
- “Es ist wichtig, dass er beginne um acht Uhr.” — “It is important that he begin at eight o'clock.”
- “Ich begänne mit einem Lied eines Tages.” — “I would begin with a song one day.”
- “Er hätte am Morgen begonnen gestern.” — “He would have begun in the morning yesterday.”
- “Beginn um acht Uhr!” — “Begin at eight o'clock!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich beginnen um acht Uhr.”
✓ Right: “Ich beginne um acht Uhr.”
The infinitive beginnen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form beginne.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich beginnen um acht Uhr.”
✓ Right: “Ich beginne um acht Uhr.”
beginnen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with beginne.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich beginne um acht Uhr gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe um acht Uhr begonnen gestern.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe begonnen, not the present.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich beginne um acht Uhr.”
✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich beginne um acht Uhr.”
After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use beginne here, not the indicative beginne.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin begonnen um acht Uhr.”
✓ Right: “habe begonnen um acht Uhr.”
The Perfekt of beginnen is formed with haben plus the past participle begonnen: the ich form is habe begonnen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Using the preterite for a daily habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich begann um acht Uhr jeden Tag.”
✓ Right: “Ich beginne um acht Uhr jeden Tag.”
The preterite begann describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present beginne.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on beginnen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of beginnen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) beginne
- B) beginnst
- C) beginnt
- D) beginnen
What is the du form of beginnen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) begannen
- B) begannt
- C) begannst
- D) begann
What is the er/sie/es form of beginnen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) habe begonnen
- B) hast begonnen
- C) haben begonnen
- D) hat begonnen
What is the wir form of beginnen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hatten begonnen
- B) hatte begonnen
- C) hattest begonnen
- D) hattet begonnen
What is the du form of beginnen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werden beginnen
- B) wirst beginnen
- C) werde beginnen
- D) wird beginnen
What is the ich form of beginnen in the Future perfect (Futur II)?
- A) wirst begonnen haben
- B) wird begonnen haben
- C) werden begonnen haben
- D) werde begonnen haben
What is the er/sie/es form of beginnen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) beginne
- B) beginnest
- C) beginnen
- D) beginnet
What is the ich form of beginnen in the Konjunktiv II?
- A) begännet
- B) begänne
- C) begännest
- D) begännen
What is the present participle (Partizip I) of beginnen?
- A) öffnend
- B) schließend
- C) beginnend
- D) endend
What does beginnen mean in English?
- A) to begin
- B) to end
- C) to open
- D) to close
Answer key
- A) beginne — the ich form of beginnen in the Present (Präsens) is beginne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) begannst — the du form of beginnen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is begannst. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) hat begonnen — the er/sie/es form of beginnen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat begonnen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) hatten begonnen — the wir form of beginnen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten begonnen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wirst beginnen — the du form of beginnen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst beginnen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) werde begonnen haben — the ich form of beginnen in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde begonnen haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) beginne — the er/sie/es form of beginnen in the Konjunktiv I is beginne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) begänne — the ich form of beginnen in the Konjunktiv II is begänne. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) beginnend — the present participle (Partizip I) of beginnen is beginnend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to begin — beginnen means “to begin” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does beginnen mean in English?
beginnen means “to begin”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is beginnen regular or irregular?
beginnen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is beginnend and Partizip II is begonnen.
What are the participles of beginnen?
Partizip I is beginnend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is begonnen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe begonnen.
Which auxiliary does beginnen take in the Perfekt?
beginnen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe begonnen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle begonnen.
How do I say “I begin” in German?
Say “Ich beginne um acht Uhr jeden Tag.” — “I begin at eight o'clock every day.” The ich form of the present is beginne, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of beginnen — every tense of beginnen in one place.
- Beginnen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Beginnen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Enden conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Öffnen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Schließen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise beginnen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise beginnen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise beginnen with the interactive tool.