~はじめる Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Auxiliary Verb (Group 2)
Essential Meaning: Begin to
Construction:
- Verb ます-Form + 始める
- E.g. 話し始める [X begins to speak]
- E.g. 食べ始める [X begins to eat]
Notes:
- ~始める means that someone or something begins some action (e.g. “Begin to read“) or begins to be in some state (e.g. “Begin to strengthen“).
- ~始める implies that the subject is beginning some action that will take places over a span of time. Thus, ~始める is typically used with durative verbs such as 読む [To read], 書く [To write], or 見る [To see]. However, if the subject is plural, punctual verbs can be used in certain contexts.
- E.g. *マークが会場に着き始めました。[Mark began to arrive at the meeting room.] “Arrive” is a punctual word; it takes place instantaneously. Therefore, it does not make sense to say that Mark “began to arrive”.
- E.g. 人々が会場に着き始めました。[People began to arrive at the meeting room.] Although individuals arrive instantaneously, the plurality of people arrives over a period of time. Thus, this sentence is acceptable.
- ~始める conjugates as a Group 2 verb (i.e. 始めない, 始めます, 始めれば, 初めて, et cetera).
- ~始める can be changed into an honorific form by using お~になる.
- E.g. Regular Form: 先生は本を書き始めた。[The teacher began to write a book.]
- E.g. Honorific Form: 先生はご本をお書きになり始めた。/ 先生はご本を書き始めになった。[The teacher began to write a book.]
Example Sentences:
明日からレポートを書き始める。[I’ll begin writing the report tomorrow.]
私は八月から源氏物語を読み始めました。[I began reading The Tale of Genji from August.]
日本の経済は1964年の東京オリンピックのころから強くなり始めた。[Around the time of the 1964 Olympics, Japan’s economy began to strengthen.]
A: いつから切ってを集め始めたんですか。B: 子供のときから集め始めました。[A: Around when did you begin to collect stamps? B: I began to collect stamps when I was a child.]
WILD Examples:
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