How to Use Flew or Flown? (Irregular Verb Forms)

What's the past tense of "fly"?

The simple past tense of fly is flew, and the past participle is flown. Use flew for simple past and flown with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had".

Definition of fly

To fly means "to move through the air using wings," or "to travel by aircraft." It's used in both literal contexts (birds flying) and figurative expressions (time flies).

The past tense of fly is flew.

The past participle of fly is flown.

Verb forms of 'fly'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they fly • He/she/it flies

Past

I/you/they flew • He/she/it flew

Future

I/you/they will fly • He/she/it will fly

Present

I am/you are flying • He/she/it is flying

Past

I was/you were flying • He/she/it was flying

Future

I/you will be flying • He/she/it will be flying

Present

I/you have flown • He/she/it has flown

Past

I/you had flown • He/she/it had flown

Future

I/you will have flown • He/she/it will have flown

Present

I have been flying • He/she/it has been flying

Past

I had been flying • He/she/it had been flying

Future

I will have been flying • He/she/it will have been flying

Is "fly" a regular or irregular verb?

The verb fly is irregular. Its past tense and past participle forms are flew and flown, not "flied." This follows a pattern similar to other English verbs that change their vowel sound in the past tense, such as know/knew/known and grow/grew/grown.

Similar irregular verbs

fly

Past: flew

Past part: flown

When to use flew vs. flown

The birds flew south for the winter.

I have never flown in a helicopter before.

The verb fly uses different forms for simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so flew can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Common phrases with "fly"

to be like a fly in milk

to be conspicuous or obvious

a fly in the ointment

to detract from a positive situation

wouldn't hurt a fly

said of someone harmless/gentle or kind

to fly off the handle

to be uncontrollably angry

you must lose a fly to catch a trout

small sacrifices are sometimes necessary for bigger gains

kill a fly with an elephant gun

to take excessive means to accomplish a relatively small task

fly by the seat of one's pants

to improvise rather than plan

if pigs could fly

meaning that something is impossible to accomplish or achieve

to fly too close to the sun

to take on something extremely ambitious that may lead to one's undoing

run around like a blue-arsed fly

to work quickly while taking on a large number of tasks

a fly on the wall

to be an observer and quiet in a situation

birds of a feather fly/flock

people with similar sentiments and attitudes stick together

Sentence examples: fly, flew, flown

Fly (present tense)

• The aircraft is fully functional and fit to fly.

• Birds fly south for the winter.

• The planes fly through the clouds.

Flew (past simple)

• She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.

• The bird flew away.

• He flew to Los Angeles.

Flown (present or past perfect)

• A wasp had flown in through the window.

• I've never flown before.

• The year has flown by.

FAQs

What is the past tense of "fly"?

The simple past tense of the verb "fly" is flew. For example, "The planes flew through the clouds." The past participle is "flown".

Is "fly" a regular verb?

No, the verb "fly" is irregular. Regular verbs form their past tense by adding "-ed", but "fly" uses "flew" for the simple past and "flown" for the past participle.

When should I use "flew"?

Use "flew" for the simple past tense of "fly". This describes an action that was completed in the past, like "She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth."

When should I use "flown"?

Use "flown" as the present or past perfect), as in "I have flown that airline before" or "A wasp had flown in through the window."

Why is "flown" wrong alone?

"Flown" is the present or past perfect) to be grammatically correct in a sentence. Using "flown" alone, as in "The pilot flown...", is incorrect.