How to Use Swam or Swum (Irregular Verb Conjugations)

What's the past tense of "swim"?

The simple past tense of swim is swam, and the past participle is swum. Use swam for simple past and swum for past participle forms.

Definition of swim

The Oxford English Dictionary defines swim as: "to propel the body through water by using the limbs, or (in the case of a fish or other aquatic animal) by using fins, tail, or other bodily movement." The word refers to moving through water using coordinated movements.

The past tense of swim is swam.

The past participle of swim is swum.

Verb forms of 'swim'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they swim • He/she/it swims

Past

I/you/they swam • He/she/it swam

Future

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

Present

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

Past

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

Future

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

Present

I/you have swum • He/she/it has swum

Past

I/you had swum • He/she/it had swum

Future

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

Present

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

Past

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

Future

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

Is "swim" a regular or irregular verb?

The verb swim is irregular. Its past tense and past participle forms are swam and swum, not "swimmed." This follows the same i-a-u vowel pattern as other irregular verbs like drink, ring, and sing.

When to use swam vs. swum

I swam in the ocean yesterday.

She has swum across the lake many times.

The participle form of a verb (shown in the second sentence) uses the auxiliary verb have (in its contraction, has). This indicates that the participle form is in use, not the simple past. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so swam can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Similar irregular verbs

swim

Past: swam

Past part: swum

Sentence examples: swim, swam, swum

Swim (present tense)

• I swim in the pool every morning.

• She swims very well.

• They are swimming in the ocean.

Swam (past simple)

• I swam in the ocean yesterday.

• He swam across the lake.

• We swam together at the beach.

Swum (present or past perfect)

• She has swum across the lake many times.

• They had swum in that pool before.

• I have swum in the ocean before.

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for swim

paddle stroke float dive wade bathe

Nearby phrases

sink or swim swim against the current in the swim of things swim with the tide

Common phrases with "swim" (detailed)

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.

FAQs

What's the past tense of swim?

The simple past tense of "swim" is "swam." For example, "Yesterday, I swam in the pool." The past participle is "swum," used with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had."

When do I use "swam" vs "swum"?

Use "swam" for the simple past tense (e.g., "I swam yesterday"). Use "swum" as the present or past perfect).

Can "swum" be used alone?

No, "swum" is a present or past perfect) to function correctly.

What form of swim do I use after "have"?

After auxiliary verbs like "have," you use the past participle form, which is "swum." For example, "I have swum in that pool before" shows this usage in the perfect tense.