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English irregular verbs, past forms of Fly: Fly - Flew - Flown

The verb Fly carries the meaning "to move through the air", while the noun Fly refers to an insect. This is common knowledge for many people. However, there are still some who are unsure about how to conjugate the past forms of Fly accurately. In today's article, PREP will provide the answers to these questions and offer additional valuable knowledge. Let's dive in!

I. What is Fly?

In English, Fly is pronounced /flaɪ/ and functions as both a verb and a noun.

Fly acts as a verb in the sentence, meaning: (of a bird, bat, or insect) move through the air using wings; move or be hurled quickly through the air. For example: We fly to Paris every summer.
Fly acts as a noun in the sentence, meaning: a small insect with two wings, the opening at the front of a pair of trousers, the outside sheet of material on a tent that has two layers, for keeping rain out. For example: There are many flies on the table.

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Fly? The past forms of Fly in English

What are the past forms of Fly in English? What are V0, V2, V3 of Fly? V0, V2, V3 stand for: Infinitive, Simple Past, and Past Participle. Let's explore the past forms of Fly in the table below!

Past forms of Fly		Example
V0	Fly /flaɪ/	I fly to Singapore to visit my mother every summer.
V2	Flew /fluː/	I flew to Singapore to visit my mother last summer.
V3	Flown /floʊn/	I have flown to Singapore to visit my mother twice a year.

In conclusion, the past forms of Fly are: the past form of Fly in past simple is Flew and the past participle of Fly is Flown.

III. How to conjugate the verb Fly

How is the verb Fly conjugated in the 12 English tenses and special structures? Let's find out below! After exploring the past forms of Fly, let’s take a look at the conjugation rules of the verb Fly in various contexts with PREP!

1. In tenses

12 English tenses	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	fly	flies	fly
	For example: I fly to Singapore every month for business meetings. He flies to New York for his vacation every summer. We fly to London at 3pm today for a family reunion.
Present continuous tense	am flying	is flying	are flying
	For example: I am flying to Singapore for a business conference. He is flying to New York for a meeting with clients. We are flying to London for summer vacation.
Present perfect tense	have flown	has flown	have flown
	For example: I have flown to London several times for work. He has flown to Thailand for a business trip for three weeks. We have flown to Germany for vacation for two months.
Present perfect continuous tense	have been flying	has been flying	have been flying
	For example: I have been flying to Korea for business meetings all this month. He has been flying around the world all year for his job as a pilot. We have been flying to various countries for our charity missions lately.
Past simple tense	flew	flew	flew
	For example: I flew to Angola last year for vacation. He flew to India for a business conference yesterday. We flew to Colombia for our honeymoon two years ago.
Past continuous tense	was flying	was flying	were flying
	For example: I was flying to New York when I received the news. He was flying to China when the turbulence hit. We were flying to the Philippines when the flight attendant announced the delay.
Past Perfect Tense	had flown	had flown	had flown
	For example: I had flown to America before I realized I left my important contract at home. He had flown to Japan many times before he decided to move there. We had flown to London several times before we finally visited Buckingham Palace.
Past perfect continuous tense	had been flying	had been flying	had been flying
	For example: I had been flying for hours when the storm forced us to land. He had been flying around the world for months before he finally returned home. We had been flying for nearly a day when we arrived at our destination.
Simple future tense	will fly	will fly	will fly
	For example: I will fly to Japan next week for a vacation. He will fly to Korea for a business trip next month. We will fly to Paris for a family reunion next year.
Future continuous tense	will be flying	will be flying	will be flying
	For example: I will be flying to Singapore at 9 AM tomorrow morning. He will be flying to London for a conference on Monday next week. We will be flying to Germany for a vacation in June.
Future Perfect tense	will have flown	will have flown	will have flown
	For example: I will have flown to China by this time next year. As a pilot, he will have flown around the world by the time he retires. We will have flown to France and back before the end of the month.
Future perfect continuous tense	will have been flying	will have been flying	will have been flying
	For example: I will have been flying for seven hours by the time I reach my destination. He will have been flying for months when he finally arrives at his final destination. We will have been flying for several hours before we land in London.

2. In special sentence structures

Special structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional sentences
Conditional sentence type 2 - Main clause	would fly	would fly	would fly
Conditional sentence type 2 - Main clause	For example: If I had more time, I would fly to New York for the weekend. If he had a fear of heights, he wouldn't fly on airplanes. If we had enough money, we would fly first class to our vacation destination.
Conditional sentence type 2 - Variation of the main clause	would be flying	would be flying	would be flying
Conditional sentence type 2 - Variation of the main clause	For example: If I were on summer vacation, I would be flying to my favorite destination right now. If he were a pilot, he would be flying airplanes all over the world. If we were invited to the wedding, we would be flying to Carribean beach for the ceremony.
Conditional sentence type 3 - Main clause	would have flown	would have flown	would have flown
Conditional sentence type 3 - Main clause	For example: If I had arrived earlier, I would have flown with Jack to the conference. If he had known about the party, he would have flown to attend. If we had won the lottery, we would have flown to Finland for a year.
Conditional sentence type 3 - Variation of the main clause	would have been flying	would have been flying	would have been flying
Conditional sentence type 3 - Variation of the main clause	For example: If I had booked the earlier flight, I would have been flying over the Pacific right now. If he had passed the pilot exam, he would have been flying commercial jets by now. If we had won the contest, we would have been flying to Hawaii for a vacation.
Hypothetical sentence
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Present Event	fly	fly	fly
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Contrast with Reality in the Present	flew	flew	flew
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Contrast with Reality in the Past	had flown	had flown	had flown
For example	If I fly to Paris, I will visit the Eiffel Tower. If he flew to London last week, he probably would have participated in the conference. I wish I had flown to Thailand to attend the workshop.

IV. Phrasal verbs with Fly in English

After exploring the past forms of Fly, let’s take a look at a handy list of phrasal verbs with Fly in English!

Phrasal verbs with Fly	Meaning	Example
Fly about/ around	If ideas or remarks are flying about/ around, they are being passed quickly from one person to another and causing excitement	The rumor has been flying about for the past week, but no one has confirmed it.
Fly around	to run, chase around	Swallows fly around and chirp.
Fly at	to attack another person or animal suddenly	The dog flew at the cat when it came into the garden.
Fly at	to criticize or yell in anger	Smith flew at his team for not trying hard enough.
Fly by	(time) to pass quickly	As I get older, the years just fly by.
Fly into	suddenly to get into (a rage, a temper etc)	Losing a game would cause Jack to fly into a rage.

V. Exercise on the past forms of Fly with answers

To further understand the past forms of Fly and phrasal verbs with Fly in English, let's complete the exercise below with PREP!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Conjugate the verb Fly

The birds (fly) __________ south for the winter.
Anna (fly) _________ to New York last week.
The butterfly (fly) __________ gracefully in the garden.
My friends and I usually (fly) __________ a kite on a windy day.
Jack (fly) __________ a drone in the park at the moment.

Exercise 2: Fill in the appropriate phrasal verb with Fly that you have learned and conjugate the verb if any

Fly about - Fly around - Fly at - Fly by - Fly into

The birds often _______ the garden, searching for worms.
All kinds of rumors are _______ about the school closing.
The mosquito seemed to _______ Jack’s face as soon as he stepped outside.
Time seems to _______ when we are having fun.
Jane _______ a rage when she saw the mess.

2. Answer

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
fly flew flies fly is flying	fly around flying about/ around fly at fly by flew into

PREP hopes that after reading the above article, you have gained an understanding of the definition and past forms of Fly in English, as well as some common phrasal verbs with Fly. Let’s follow PREP for more useful English knowledge!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Mr. Tú Phạm is the founder of PREP, a Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of teaching and test preparation experience, he has assisted thousands of students in achieving high scores on the IELTS exam. Additionally, Mr. Tú Phạm serves as a consultant for British Council programs and as a speaker at numerous premier education events, programs, and seminars.

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English irregular verbs, past forms of Fly: Fly - Flew - Flown

I. What is Fly?

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Fly? The past forms of Fly in English

III. How to conjugate the verb Fly

1. In tenses

2. In special sentence structures

IV. Phrasal verbs with Fly in English

V. Exercise on the past forms of Fly with answers

1. Exercises

2. Answer

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