English

Verb

begynne

1. Obsolete spelling of 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/

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German beginnen, cognate with Old English beginnan (Modern English begin), from the prefix be- and West Germanic *ginnan.

Verb

begynne ‎(imperative begynn, present tense begynner, simple past begynte, past participle begynt, present participle begynnende)

1. to begin, start (initiate or take the first step into something.)

   Jeg begynte nylig å lese Shakespeares verker.

   I just recently started reading Shakespeare's works.

   Gutten snublet i bakken og begynte å gråte.

   The boy tripped and fell and started crying.

   Ok, skal vi begynne?

   OK, shall we begin?

   Skynd deg, filmen begynner om ti minutter.

   Hurry up, the movie starts in ten minutes.

   Vel begynt er halvt fullendt.

   A good start completes half the work. (Proverb; literally: "well began/started is half completed")

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

• “begynne” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “begynne” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• Online Etymology Dictionary entry on "begin"

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German beginnen, cognate with Old English beginnan (< Modern English begin), from the prefix be- and West Germanic *ginnan.

Verb

begynne (present tense begynner; past tense begynte; past participle begynt; present participle begynnande; imperative begynn)

1. to begin (to start, to initiate or take the first step into something.)

   Eg begynte nyleg å lese verka til Shakespeare.

   I just recently started reading Shakespeare's works.

   Gutten snubla i bakken og begynte å gråte.

   The boy stumbled and fell and started crying.

   Ok, skal vi begynne?

   Ok, shall we begin?

   Skynd deg, filmen begynner om ti minutter.

   Hurry up, the movie starts in ten minuts.

   Vel begynt er halvt fullendt.

   A good start completes half the work. (Proverb; literally: "well began/started is half completed")

Synonyms

Derived terms

• begynnande
• påbegynne
• begynnarflaks
• nybegynnar
• begynne i det små
• begynne på ny frisk
• til å begynne med

Usage notes

The listed synonym byrje is virtually identical in meaning and is frequently used instead.

References

• “begynne” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “begynne” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• Online Etymology Dictionary entry on "begin"