1. 表示开始做某事，其后的动词可用不定式也可用动名词。如：

When did you begin to learn/ learning French? 你什么时候开始学法语?

Hearing the news she began to cry/crying. 听到这消息她就哭了。

【注】当 begin 后接的是表示心里活动的动词(如 think,realize, understand 等)或 begin 本身为 -ing 形式时，其后通常要接不定式而不接动名词。如：

It is beginning to rain. 开始下雨了。

She began to understand. 她开始明白了。

2. 汉语说“从……开始”，英语一般不用 begin from, 而应根据具体情况选用适当的介词。如：

Our journey began at Changsha. 我们的旅行从长沙开始。

The sports meet begins on Monday. 运动会从星期一开始。

3. begin 作为终止性动词。如：

The concert has been on for half an hour.音乐会已开始半小时了。

It began to rain at three o’clock.三点钟下雨了。

辨别使用begin to do sth 与begin doing sth.

1. 谈及一项长期活动或开始一种习惯时，使用doing

How old were you when you first started playing thepiano? 你几岁时开始弹钢琴？

2. begin用进行时时，后面动词用不定式to do

I was beginning to get angry. 我开始生起气来。

3. 在begin后接know, understand, realize这类动词时，常用不定式to do

I begin to understand the truth. 我开始明白真相。