Japanese verb 始まる: an event beginning

The idea

始はじまる is a godan verb. The final る becomes ります in the polite form and って in the て form. The polite non-past, negative and past forms are 始はじまります、始はじまりません、始はじまりました. The て form is 始はじまって. The thing undergoing the change can be marked by が; an intransitive verb does not imply that there is no cause. Here the ている form can describe the resulting state, not just an action in progress.

Examples

• 授業じゅぎょうは九時くじに始はじまります。Class starts at nine.
• 会議かいぎはもう始はじまっています。The meeting has already started.
• 映画えいがが五分後ごふんごに始はじまります。The film starts in five minutes.
• 試合しあいが予定よていより早はやく始はじまりました。The match started earlier than scheduled.
• 朝あさ、鳥とりの声こえで一日いちにちが始はじまります。In the morning, the day begins with birdsong.
• まだ授業じゅぎょうが始はじまりません。Class has not started yet.

Watch out

始はじまる describes the change; its transitive partner 始はじめる describes an action on something.

Try it yourself

1. （始はじまる→ます）＿

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   始まります

   始はじまります is the polite non-past form; context can indicate a habit or a future event.

2. （始はじまる→て）＿

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   始まって

   始はじまって is the て form; it can connect clauses.

3. 授業じゅぎょう＿始はじまります。（が／を）

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   が

   が marks the subject undergoing the change.

Use it today

Make an original sentence, change it to the polite past and identify its particle. Compare your sentence with the examples.