Irregular verb
The verb to grow
grow → grew → grown
A2Meaning: to become bigger or taller; to produce plants or vegetables · Type: irregular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they grow·he/she/it grows - Past Simple:
grew(pronounced /ɡruː/) - Past participle:
grown(different from the Past Simple) - -ing form:
growing
Conjugation of the verb to grow
Present Simple
| I | grow |
| You | grow |
| He / She / It | grows |
| We | grow |
| You (pl.) | grow |
| They | grow |
Past Simple
| I | grew |
| You | grew |
| He / She / It | grew |
| We | grew |
| You (pl.) | grew |
| They | grew |
All the forms of the verb to grow
Present Simple
Full pagegrow / grows
“Children grow fast.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are growing
“I am growing tomatoes right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagegrew
“He grew 10 cm last year.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were growing
“I was growing tomatoes when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has grown
“I have already grown tomatoes.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad grown
“She had already grown tomatoes when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill grow
“I will grow tomatoes tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to grow
“I'm going to grow tomatoes this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould grow
“I would grow tomatoes if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to grow
1. Getting bigger (people, animals)
- Children grow fast.
- I grew 5 cm this year.
2. Growing plants
With no object (the flowers are growing) or with an object (I grow vegetables).
- The flowers are growing.
- I grow vegetables.
3. Phrasal verb: grow up
Grow up = to become an adult. Grow up! means stop acting like a child.
- I grew up in London.
- Grow up!
Common mistakes to avoid
1. A grown-up = an adult
Grown-up is a noun with a hyphen (-). The grown-ups are talking means the adults are talking.
2. Grow + adjective
Grow can mean become when an adjective follows it: It's growing dark (it's becoming dark). She grew tired after the long walk.
Going further
Conjugating to grow is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
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Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to grow. Now say it out loud.
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Related pages: grow
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of grow?+
The Past Simple of grow is grew. The past participle is grown. Grow → grew → grown.
What is the difference between grow and grow up?+
Grow means to get bigger (people, animals, plants, hair). Grow up means to change from a child into an adult. I'm growing my hair long (I let it get longer). I grew up in London (I lived there as a child).
How do you say where you grew up in English?+
Use grow up in the Past Simple: I grew up in London. Grow up means to become an adult. Don't mix it up with grow alone, which means to get taller: I grew 5 cm this year.
What does grown-up mean?+
A grown-up is an adult. The grown-ups are talking. It is a friendly, informal word for adult, often used by children or when you talk to children.
Is it grew or growed?+
Say grew. Grow is irregular: its Past Simple is grew and its past participle is grown. Growed is a mistake.
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/grow
© 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.