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The Verb "Swim" in English

Conjugation of "To Swim"

The verb "swim" is an irregular verb. (This means that "swim" does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.)

The Five Forms of "To Swim"

FormswimAlternative Name
Base FormswimInfinitive Form
The -S FormswimsThird Person Singular Form
Past FormswamSimple Past Tense
The -ING FormswimmingPresent Participle Form
The Past Participle Formswum[no alternative name]

"To Swim" in All the Tenses

The tables below show how "swim" conjugates in the past, present, and future tenses.

Past Tenses

PersonSimple PastPast Progressive TensePast Perfect TensePast Perfect Progressive Tense
  • I
  • you
  • he/she/it
  • we
  • you
  • they
  • swam
  • swam
  • swam
  • swam
  • swam
  • swam
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
  • was swimming
  • were swimming
  • was swimming
  • were swimming
  • were swimming
  • were swimming
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
  • had swum
  • had swum
  • had swum
  • had swum
  • had swum
  • had swum
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
  • had been swimming
  • had been swimming
  • had been swimming
  • had been swimming
  • had been swimming
  • had been swimming
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.

Present Tenses

PersonSimple PresentPresent Progressive TensePresent Perfect TensePresent Perfect Progressive Tense
  • I
  • you
  • he/she/it
  • we
  • you
  • they
  • swim
  • swim
  • swims
  • swim
  • swim
  • swim
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
  • am swimming
  • are swimming
  • is swimming
  • are swimming
  • are swimming
  • are swimming
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
  • have swum
  • have swum
  • has swum
  • have swum
  • have swum
  • have swum
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
  • have been swimming
  • have been swimming
  • has been swimming
  • have been swimming
  • have been swimming
  • have been swimming
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).

Future Tenses

PersonSimple FutureFuture Progressive TenseFuture Perfect TenseFuture Perfect Progressive Tense
  • I
  • you
  • he/she/it
  • we
  • you
  • they
  • will swim
  • will swim
  • will swim
  • will swim
  • will swim
  • will swim
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
  • will be swimming
  • will be swimming
  • will be swimming
  • will be swimming
  • will be swimming
  • will be swimming
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
  • will have swum
  • will have swum
  • will have swum
  • will have swum
  • will have swum
  • will have swum
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
  • will have been swimming
  • will have been swimming
  • will have been swimming
  • will have been swimming
  • will have been swimming
  • will have been swimming
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.

Most Common Irregular Verbs

The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs: Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:
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This page was written by Craig Shrives.

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