Pfeift

Pfeift is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb pfeifen, meaning to whistle. The form is used when describing that someone whistles in the present moment.

In usage, pfeifen describes producing a whistling sound by puckering the lips or using a device, and it can also refer to signaling attention or communicating a cue by whistling, for example to summon someone or to punctuate an improvised musical moment.

Conjugation notes: present tense forms include ich pfeife, du pfeifst, er pfeift, wir pfeifen, ihr pfeift, sie pfeifen. The simple past is er pfiff; the past participle is gepfeift, used with the auxiliary haben. The noun Pfiff denotes the sound of a whistle or a cue; Pfeife denotes a whistle or a smoking pipe.

Etymology: the verb pfeifen is of Germanic origin and related to cognate forms in other West Germanic languages; the noun Pfiff (sound/cue) and Pfeife (whistle or pipe) share the same linguistic root.

Usage notes: in standard German, pfeifen is used for whistling with the lips or with a device. An idiomatic expression is auf etwas pfeifen, meaning to not care about something. The term pfeift, as a form, appears in narrative or descriptive contexts when referring to a specific subject performing the act of whistling in the present.