The verb to flee · Conjugation
Past Simple of flee
The answer: fled
A2
A finished action at a definite time in the past.
Quick answer
The Past Simple of the verb to flee is fled.
Example: They fled the country.
Full conjugation in the Past Simple
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| I | fled |
| You | fled |
| He / She / It | fled |
| We | fled |
| You (pl.) | fled |
| They | fled |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Fleed ❌
Flee → fled → fled, like feed → fed, bleed → bled and breed → bred: the long vowel becomes short. Never add -ed to flee.
2. Fleing ❌
Verbs in -ee keep both e's before -ing: fleeing, seeing, agreeing, freeing. So write fleeing.
3. Refugee does not come from flee
A refugee is a person who flees, but the word comes from refuge (a safe place), from Latin, not from flee. Same family: refuge, to take refuge (to go to a safe place).
Practice quiz
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of flee?+
The Past Simple of flee is fled (the long ee becomes a short e). The past participle is fled too. Flee → fled → fled. It works like feed → fed and bleed → bled.
Is it flee or run away?+
Flee is formal and strong, often for danger or war: They fled the war. Run away is everyday spoken English: The dog ran away.
What does refugee mean?+
A refugee is a person who leaves their country to escape war or danger. A refugee is someone who has fled their country. But the word does not come from flee: it is related to refuge (a safe place), from Latin. A refugee crisis is when very many people must leave their country.
Is it didn't flee or didn't fled?+
Say didn't flee: They didn't flee the city. After didn't, use the base form → flee.
Why does fleeing have two e's?+
When a verb ends in -ee, you keep both e's before -ing: fleeing, seeing, agreeing, freeing. You do not drop the final e here.
Related pages: flee Past Simple
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/flee/past-simple
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
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More forms of the verb to flee are coming soon.