What’s the past tense of “swim”?
Today’s lesson is on the past tense of swim—let’s dive right in!
Yesterday, I swam in the ocean and saw many colorful fish.
She swam across the pool in record time.
He swimmed in the lake until he was tired.
They swammed for hours, enjoying the cool water.
Verb forms of swim
To swim, defined by Collins Dictionary, is “to move through water by moving your arms and legs, without touching the bottom”. See the conjugations of swim below—
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I swim | I swam | I will swim |
| Continuous | I am swimming | I was swimming | I will be swimming |
| Perfect | I have swum | I had swum | I will have swum |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been swimming | I had been swimming | I will have been swimming |
Irregular verbs like “swim”
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
| fly | flew | flown |
| blow | blew | blown |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| drink | drank | drunk |
When to use swam vs. swum
Compare these sentences:
Simple past: The boys swam across the lake.
Present perfect: I have swum in that pool many times before.
The past participle forms one of the perfect tenses, and also forms the passive voice, which uses a sentence object. Both the past participle and past tense of the verb swim (along with the past tenses of any verb) refer to actions or events that were completed entirely in the past. That’s a lot of information, and it helps to know certain ‘key terms’ in advance (it’s instructive to read the blog on verb tenses and participles before this one, in particular).
The second sentence that shows the past participle also includes an auxiliary verb, have. Remove the auxiliary verb from the sentence, and it’s clear how participles require the use of an auxiliary/helping verb to function in sentences. This is because participles are based on verbs, and are not complete verbs that are capable of standing alone in sentences. Participles partake in the nature of a verb, and use auxiliary verbs.
Sentences with “swim” (present simple)
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | They are too far out to swim to shore.
I have always found it easy to swim underwater. Can you swim backstroke yet? How long will it take her to swim the Channel? I can’t swim. |
Sentences with “swam” (simple past)
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | The boys swam across the lake.
Exhausted, they swam ashore. His head swam and he swayed dizzily. He swam deeper into the lake. He swam to an island that was not far away. |
To remember the past tense of “swim,” associate it with other irregular verbs. Creating flashcards with irregular verbs grouped together can aid memorization.
Sentences with “swum” (past participle)
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | I have swum in that pool before.
I had swum for only 15 minutes before it started to rain. I’ve swum in these rivers, and they are unstable. She has swum with sharks, sat on elephants, and ridden on dolphins. As the only man on deck in the small hours, he sees that a man has swum up to the ship’s side. |
Phrases with the word swim
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sink or swim | To succeed or fail quickly at something. |
| to be in the swim of things | To be involved/knowledgeable on something. |
| faster than a minnow can swim a dipper | To do something extremely quickly. |
| to swim against the current | To go against the norm or conventions. |
| to swim with the tide or stream | To go along with prevailing attitudes and sentiments. |
| to swim with the fishes | Famously popularized by Mario Puzo, The Godfather. Meaning, to be dead. |
Origin of the word swim
Old English swimman “to move in or on the water, float” from Proto-Germanic *swimjan.
Worksheet: “Swim” verb tenses
Yesterday, she across the entire lake.
By the time the lifeguard arrived, the boy had already to safety.
I have in many different oceans.
He twenty laps in the pool every morning.
Next summer, they promised they to the island with us.
FAQs
What’s the simple past of swim?
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Is “swimmed” the correct past tense?
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When should I use “swum”?
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Does “swum” stand alone as a verb?
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What form of swim do I use after “have”?
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Yash, D. "How to Use Swam or Swum (Irregular Verb Conjugations)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/swam-or-swum/.
