Structure
Verb[ます]+ はじめる
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About はじめる
To express that actions are beginning or ending in Japanese, the verbs 始める (to commence), or 終わる (to end) will need to be used. In this lesson, we will focus on actions that are 'beginning'.
To say that (A) is starting/beginning, we will need to attach はじめる to the ます stem of almost any verb. Whether you use the hiragana form, or the kanji form does not matter, as there will be no change in nuance.
To say that (A) is starting/beginning, we will need to attach はじめる to the ます stem of almost any verb. Whether you use the hiragana form, or the kanji form does not matter, as there will be no change in nuance.
- 来月からお金をため始めます。I will start saving money from next month.
- 歌を歌い始める。To start singing a song.
- 明日から日本語を習い始める。I will start learning Japanese from tomorrow. (Will start)
- 雨が降り始めてきた。It is starting to rain. (Is starting)
- 高校生の時にお金を貯め始めた。I started saving up money when I was in high school. (Has started)
Caution
It can be easy to accidentally use 始まる, the intransitive form of this verb. However, with this expression, the transitive form will always be used, due to the verb that はじめる is attached to being the thing that 'is started', by 'something' else.Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
今朝、雪が降り始めた。
It started to snow this morning.
明日から、日本語を習い始めます。
I will start learning Japanese from tomorrow.
大学を卒業してから、仕事に行き始めた。
I started going to work after graduation from college.
日本に行ってから、文法を勉強し始めた。
I started studying grammar after going to Japan.
練習し始めてください。
Please begin to practice.
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…始める and …だす
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How to use V+はじめる
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Tobira
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[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
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[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
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はじめる – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (13 in total)
Yumari-1
Actually, I want to start by saying I’m no longer sure if this is even the right place to ask, since seemingly these threads dedicated to specific grammar points are all dead with last reply a year or more in the past.
But it does redirect you here from the question so here’s hoping…So I’m wondering about the above point. I was hit with the following question:
...彼が___から1時間経った。(話す)
Fuga
Hey @Yumari-1 !
For this question we are looking for an answers that has the nuance of ‘since’ so 〜たから would not work.
彼が話し始めたから1時間経った。An hour has passed because he started talking (Because he started talking, an hour has passed).
彼が話し始めてから1時間経った。 It has been an hour since he started talking (An hour has passes from the time he started talking).I hope that this answers your question!
Yumari-1
Thanks for the quick answer!
I think I get it now. The point being that the main meaning of から is always “from/because” and if we change てから to たから, the から particle reverts back to its more primary meaning (no longer means “once … then something else”) and hence stops working with this particular example.
I hope my understanding is not messed up.
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