Eilt

Eilt is the third-person singular present tense form and, also, the second-person plural present tense form of the German verb eilen, meaning to hurry or to rush. It appears in sentences where the subject is er, sie, es or ihr, for example: Er eilt zum Bahnhof. Es eilt. Ihr eilt oft, wenn ihr den Bus nicht verpassen wollt. The form is identical in these two grammatical persons, with the meaning clarified by the pronoun.

Common usage and meaning

Es eilt is a standard expression used to indicate urgency, similar to the English “there is no time to lose” or “hurry.” The verb can be combined with various complements to describe hurried movement, such as places, actions, or deadlines: Er eilt zu einem Termin, Wir eilen durch die Gänge, Sie eilt, um den Anschlusszug zu erreichen.

Conjugation and related forms

In the present tense, the full conjugation is: ich eile, du eilst, er eilt, wir eilen, ihr eilt, Sie eilen. The past tense is eilte (ich eilte, du eiltest, er eilte, wir eilten, ihr eiltet, Sie eilten). For practical usage, speakers often prefer the reflexive alternative sich beeilen to express hurriedness, as in Ich habe mich beeilt.

Etymology and related terms

The verb eilen comes from Old High German eilen, with the noun Eile meaning hurry. Related words include Eile (hurry) and Eiligkeit (urgency). An idiomatic expression, Eile mit Weile, cautions against rushing at the expense of care.

In summary, eilt is a common present-tense form used to describe hurried action or urgency in German, most often encountered in everyday speech and in phrases expressing time pressure.