fliegen
to fly
To move through the air using wings or an engine.
EXAMPLE
Nächstes Jahr fliegen wir für drei Wochen nach Kanada.
Next year we're flying to Canada for three weeks.
fliegen
to fly
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Meanings
fliegen
to fly
To move very quickly through the air, often after being thrown or hurled.
EXAMPLE
Der Fußball flog mit hoher Geschwindigkeit ins Tor.
The soccer ball flew into the goal at high speed.
fliegen
to get kicked out
Colloquial for: to be expelled or dismissed from an institution, such as a school, university, or workplace.
EXAMPLE
Er ist von der Schule geflogen, weil er zu oft gefehlt hat.
He got kicked out of school because he was absent too often.
fliegen
to fly by
Figuratively: to pass very quickly.
EXAMPLE
Die Zeit im Urlaub ist wie im Flug vergangen.
The time on vacation flew by.
auf jemanden/etwas fliegen
to be crazy about
Colloquial for: to find someone very attractive or to be enthusiastic about something.
EXAMPLE
Alle Teenager in meiner Klasse fliegen auf diese neue Band.
All the teenagers in my class are crazy about this new band.
Usage tips
Perfect tense with 'sein'
'Fliegen' (to fly) is a verb of movement and always forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). So the form is 'ich bin geflogen' (I flew / I have flown), not 'ich habe geflogen'.
EXAMPLE
Wir sind letzten Sommer nach Spanien geflogen.
We flew to Spain last summer.
Strong verb
'Fliegen' (to fly) is a strong verb. Pay attention to the vowel change: in the simple past it becomes 'flog', and in the past participle it becomes 'geflogen'.
EXAMPLE
Als Kind flog ich zum ersten Mal mit einem Flugzeug.
As a child, I flew in an airplane for the first time.
Specifying destinations
To specify a travel destination, use 'nach' for most cities and countries without an article. For countries with an article (e.g. 'die Schweiz' (Switzerland), 'die USA' (the USA)), use 'in' with the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Nächstes Jahr fliege ich nach Japan.
Next year I'm flying to Japan.
Register: colloquial
The meaning 'entlassen werden' (to be dismissed / fired) is colloquial. The prepositions 'von' or 'aus' are often used with it: 'von der Schule fliegen' (to get kicked out of school) or 'aus dem Kurs fliegen' (to get kicked out of the course).
EXAMPLE
Wenn du noch einmal zu spät kommst, fliegst du aus dem Team.
If you're late one more time, you'll get kicked off the team.
Fixed expression
The expression 'die Zeit fliegt' (time flies) or 'die Zeit vergeht wie im Flug' (time flies by) is very common. It expresses that time seems to pass very quickly.
EXAMPLE
Wenn man Spaß hat, vergeht die Zeit wie im Flug.
When you're having fun, time flies by.
Sentence structure
The colloquial expression 'auf jemanden/etwas fliegen' (to be crazy about someone/something) is always formed with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative. It means that you really like someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Mein Bruder fliegt total auf Science-Fiction-Filme.
My brother is totally crazy about science fiction films.
Compare with
fliegen vs stehen
to stand
Auf jemanden stehen and auf jemanden fliegen are colloquial expressions for strong attraction. Auf jemanden fliegen usually emphasizes especially intense enthusiasm or infatuation, while auf jemanden stehen is the more neutral set expression. Both can refer to the same person.
fliegen
Lea fliegt total auf ihren neuen Kollegen und schwärmt ständig von ihm.
Lea is totally crazy about her new colleague and is constantly raving about him.
stehen
Lea steht schon seit einigen Wochen auf ihren neuen Kollegen.
Lea has had a crush on her new colleague for several weeks.
In real life
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