Dunkelt

Dunkelt is the third-person singular present indicative form of the German verb dunkeln, meaning to become dark or to darken. It is used primarily intransitively to describe the transition of light toward darkness, such as twilight or evening.

In everyday language, the common way to describe fading light is with the construction es wird dunkel (it is getting dark). Dunkelt appears more in literary or formal contexts and can be found in descriptions of scenes where light gradually diminishes, for example: Der Himmel dunkelt am Abend; der Wald dunkelt im Dämmerlicht. The phrase es dunkelt can convey a mood or atmosphere and is more likely to appear in poetry, narration, or historical writing.

Etymology and related forms: dunkeln shares its root with the adjective dunkel (dark). The root is traced to the Germanic family of words for darkness; cognates include Dutch donker and English dark (via the broader Germanic heritage). The verb forms are regular for the present tense: ich dunkle, du dunkelst, er/sie/es dunkelt, wir dunkeln, ihr dunkelt, sie/Sie dunkeln. The past tense is dunkelte, and the past participle is gedunkelt. Related verbs include verdunkeln (to darken or obscure) and abdunkeln (to blackout or dim).

Usage notes: Dunkelt is correct but less common in everyday speech than es wird dunkel. It is more likely to be found in literary, descriptive, or formal German. It can also appear in historical or atmospheric writing to emphasize gradual shading of light.

See also: Dunkelheit, dunkel, verdunkeln, abdunkeln.