始める・
Four verbs that go on the end of another verb to say where in the action things are: starting, starting all of a sudden, keeping on, or finished.
start
Recently, I started running in the park every morning.
keep on
She kept playing the piano for three hours without a break.
finish
We left the restaurant after everyone had finished eating.
How to form it
Verb ます-stem + 始める／出す／続ける／終わる
読みます → 読み始める. A する verb: 勉強し始める. The second verb takes the endings: 読み始めた, 読み終わりました.
| Means | For example | |
|---|---|---|
| 始める | start | 読み始める start reading |
| 出す | start all of a sudden | 泣き出す burst into tears |
| 続ける | keep on | 読み続ける keep reading |
| 終わる | finish | 読み終わる finish reading |
始める: starting
The students began reading the materials.
After six, the store starts getting crowded.
It is 始める for things that happen by themselves too. 始まる never goes after another verb.
It began to rain in the evening.
Not said: 雨が
(It began to rain.)
出す: all of a sudden
The start comes without warning. You will mostly meet it with crying, laughing, anger, rain and sudden movement, often with 急に or 突然 close by.
The sky suddenly grew dark, and it started to rain.
When the child spotted their mother, they suddenly started running.
A plan or a suggestion is no surprise, so those usually take 始める.
Let's start eating now.
Not said: そろそろ
(Let's start eating now.)
In some everyday words 出す means "out", not "start": 取り出す (take out), 飛び出す (jump out), 思い出す (remember).
続ける: keeping on
A length of time often comes with it: 三時間, 半年間, ずっと.
I kept taking that medicine for six months.
I will keep studying Japanese.
終わる: finishing
You will often hear it before たら, てから and まで: once you finish, after finishing, until you finish.
Please call me when you have finished making dinner.
Let's wait until everyone has finished writing their answers.
It needs something with an end to reach: a book, a meal, a report. With rain, people say it stops.
Sounds odd: 雨が
It has finished raining.
People say 雨がやみました.
On the stem, not the て-form
てみる, ておく and てしまう go on the て-form. These four go on the ます-stem.
Not said: 昨日、
(I started reading this book yesterday.)
読み始めました.
Close neighbours
てくるN4
降り始めた only reports that the rain began. 降ってきた is what you say when the first drops reach you. A feeling comes on the same way: おなかがすいてきた.
Oh, it's started to rain.
てしまうN4
Done, with a feeling about it: glad it is out of the way, or sorry it happened. 終わる only reports reaching the end.
I got all my homework done before going out.
直すN4
Goes on the stem the same way: do it again, to get it right.
This paragraph is hard to understand, so I'll rewrite it.
Check yourself
1"I started learning the piano last month."
先月から
Choose an answer to see why.
2What happened?
弟が
Choose an answer to see why.
3Which one fits?
夕方から
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
After a noun
After a noun these are ordinary verbs: 仕事を始める (start work), 練習を続ける (keep up practice), 会議が終わる (the meeting ends). So "start studying" is 勉強を始める or 勉強し始める.
終える and 降り続く
読み終える means the same as 読み終わる and is a little more formal. For rain or snow that keeps falling, the usual word is 降り続く.
It rained for three days straight.
More sentences
The snow began to melt before noon.
The baby suddenly burst into tears.
The machine, which had stopped, suddenly started moving.
The population of this town continues to decline.
I have not finished reading this chapter yet.
I finished writing the report, so I sent it by email.
I have just finished hanging out the laundry.