The Past Tense of Grow Explained in Simple Terms
Quick Answer
The past tense of grow is grew. With “have” or “has,” use grown. There is no such word as “growed.”
Every day: I grow flowers.
Yesterday: I grew flowers.
Many times: I have grown flowers many times.
Grow, Grew, Grown — See the Pattern
Look at these four sentences. Can you see how the word changes?
- The children grow taller every year. (now — it happens again and again)
- My little brother grew five inches last year. (finished — it happened in the past)
- The tree has grown so tall since we planted it. (started before and still matters now)
- She is growing tomatoes in her garden right now. (happening at this moment)
Did you see the pattern? The word grow changes to grew for the past, and to grown when you use it with a helping word like have, has, or had.
Here is the full pattern:
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present (now) | grow / grows | I grow vegetables. |
| Past (yesterday) | grew | I grew vegetables last year. |
| With have/has/had | grown | I have grown vegetables before. |
| Right now (-ing) | growing | I am growing vegetables. |
When to Use Grew and When to Use Grown
Grow is an irregular verb. That means it does not follow the normal “-ed” rule. You cannot say “growed” — that word does not exist.
Here is the simple rule:
- Use grew when you talk about something that happened in the past — on its own, with no helping word.
Example: She grew up in a small town. - Use grown when you use a helping word like have, has, or had before it.
Example: She has grown up so fast.
Easy way to remember: If the sentence has have, has, or had before the space, the answer is grown. If there is no helping word, the answer is grew.
The Rule in One Line: Grew stands alone. Grown needs have, has, or had.
How to Use Grew and Grown in Everyday English
- I grew up in London. (past — no helping word)
- The company grew a lot last year. (past — no helping word)
- My hair has grown so long since January. (with “has” — still matters now)
- They grew tired of waiting. (past — describes a feeling that happened)
- She had grown into a confident person by the time she finished school. (with “had”)
You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.
Three Mistakes to Avoid With Grow
Even advanced learners mix up grew and grown sometimes — so if you get confused, you are not alone. Even native speakers’ children say “growed” when they are learning to talk.
Mistake 1: Using “growed”
✗ I growed up in a big city.
✓ I grew up in a big city.
Mistake 2: Using “grown” without a helping word
✗ She grown tomatoes last summer.
✓ She grew tomatoes last summer.
Mistake 3: Using “grew” with have/has/had
✗ The city has grew a lot.
✓ The city has grown a lot.
How to remember: Think of the word “have” as a key. When the key (have/has/had) is there, it unlocks grown. When there is no key, you use grew.
Other verbs that follow the same pattern: throw (threw / thrown), blow (blew / blown), know (knew / known).
Test Yourself: Grow, Grew, or Grown?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.
1. My little sister _______ three inches last year.
2. The flowers have _______ so tall this spring.
3. We _______ tomatoes in our garden last summer.
4. The city has _______ a lot since I was a child.
5. She _______ up in a small town near the sea.
Keep Going — You Are Building Something
You just learned grow, grew, grown. That is one more irregular verb you will never get wrong again.
Did you notice that throw follows the exact same pattern? Throw, threw, thrown — the ending changes the same way. But do you know when to use threw and when to use thrown?
Next lesson: Threw or Thrown: Which One is the Past Tense of Throw?
Source
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of grow.” Online Etymology Dictionary
My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.
