The English language has many idiomatic expressions that are used to describe things in a more interesting way. The problem with idiomatic expressions, however, is that the chances of a person getting it wrong are high, especially if that person isn’t familiar with it. This article discusses one such expression.
Time Has Flew By or Time Has Flown By – Which Is Correct?
The correct way to say the expression is “time has flown by”, not “time has flew by”. The latter phrase is not grammatically correct. If you want to use the word “flew”, you have to take out the word “has” to make “time flew by”.
“Time has flown by” is the correct way to say the expression. Saying “time has flew by” is incorrect.
This is because the word “has” only goes with the past participle of the word “fly”, which is “flown”. As such, the phrase “has flown” is grammatically correct, while it is incorrect to use the phrase “has flew”.
You can only use the word “flew” in the expression if you take out the word “has”. The expression then becomes “time flew by”.
The difference between this expression and “time has flown by” is the tense. The word “flew” is in the past tense, which means it took place in the past. Meanwhile, “has flown” is in the present perfect tense, which means that it started in the past and happened up until the present moment.
What Does “Time Has Flown By” Mean?
The phrase “time has flown by” is an idiomatic expression that describes the quick passage of time. It uses the present perfect tense, which means that the event that it is referring to began in the past and continued happening up until the present moment.
When you want to use an idiomatic expression to describe the quick passage of time, you can use the expression “time has flown by”.
The phrase “has flown” makes use of the present perfect tense. This means that it refers to an event that started in the past and continued to the present time.
The phrase is often used to positively comment on the quality of time spent, such as in saying that time passed quickly because a person was having so much fun.
However, it can also be used in a negative manner, by adding the word “barely”. This makes the phrase “time has barely flown by”.
Below are examples of how to use “time has flown by” in a sentence:
- Time has flown by so fast that it felt as if no time had passed since I first saw you.
- It’s amazing how time has flown by so fast!
- Time has flown by so quickly I didn’t notice that I hadn’t eaten lunch.
- Oh, how quickly time has flown by! The last time I saw you, you couldn’t even walk yet.
- Time has barely flown by since the class started.
Is “Time Has Flew By” Correct?
No, the phrase “time has flew by” is incorrect.
The phrase “time has flew by” is not grammatically correct. You cannot use the word “has” with the verb “flew”; you can only use it with the verb “flown”.
If you want to use the word “flew”, the phrase has to be “time flew by”.
Take the following sentences, for example:
- Time flew by so quickly that I was surprised when I looked out the window and saw the sunset.
- Incorrect: Time has flew by so quickly that I was surprised when I looked out the window and saw the sunset.
Flown Bye or Flown By?
The correct phrase to use is “flown by”, not “flown bye”. The words “by” and “bye” are different from one another and are not interchangeable. “By” is an adverb that means “past”, while “bye” is short for “goodbye”, which is a parting expression.
“Flown by” is the correct expression, because the phrase “flown bye” makes no sense. While the words “by” and “bye” sound the same, they are very different from one another.
“By”, as used in the phrase “flown by”, is an adverb that means “past”. Meanwhile, the word “bye” is short for goodbye. This is something that we say when parting from someone. Thus, these are not interchangeable.
For example:
- The bird has flown by.
- Incorrect: The bird has flown bye.
- Time has flown by.
- Incorrect: Time has flown bye.
You may also like: Has Gone By or Has Gone Bye – Which Is Correct? (Examples)
“Time Has Flown By” – Synonyms
Below are phrases that are synonymous with the phrase “time has flown by”:
- Time passed by fast
- Time moved quickly
- Time flew by so fast
- Time flies by so quickly
- How quickly time flies
You may also like: Flew or Flown? Difference Explained (Helpful Examples)
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
