verb
to flee, to escape, to run away
B1
Means “to flee,” “to escape,” or “to run away.” It’s an intransitive strong (irregular) verb with stem vowel change (flieh- → floh-). Uses auxiliary sein in perfect (bin geflohen). Often used with preposition “vor” + dative (vor etwas fliehen). Not reflexive.
Examples
Er ist aus dem Krisengebiet geflohen und lebt jetzt im Ausland.
He escaped from the crisis area and now lives abroad.
Sie ist aus dem Gefängnis geflohen.
She escaped from prison.
Viele Bewohner fliehen vor dem Feuer in Sicherheit.
Many residents flee to safety from the fire.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine someone running away from danger — they 'fliehen' from it.
Sounds like 'flee in' — think 'to flee in panic'.
Notes
Intransitive motion verb. Perfect forms generally use 'sein' as auxiliary (ist geflohen). Passive is normally not used because the verb is intransitive. | Passive voice forms marked not applicable because the verb is intransitive.