Vorüberging

Vorüberging is a verb form associated with the German verb vorübergehen, meaning to pass by or to elapse. In standard modern German, the Präteritum (simple past) of vorübergehen is normally expressed as ging vorüber (for example: Die Zeit ging vorüber; Der Gedanke ging mir vorüber). The past participle of vorübergehen is vorübergegangen, used with the auxiliary sein to form the perfect: Es ist vorübergegangen.

The single-word form vorüberging is uncommon in contemporary usage. It is generally considered archaic or dialectal and does not appear in everyday modern grammar. When encountered in historical texts or poetry, it may reflect older orthography or stylistic variation. For practical purposes, speakers and writers rely on the standard construction with ging vorüber or, in compound tenses, vorübergegangen.

The meaning of vorübergehen spans two closely related senses. Temporal: to pass by or elapse in time, as in "Die Stunde ging vorüber." Cognitive or perceptual: to pass someone’s attention or memory, as in "Der Gedanke ging mir vorüber." In both cases the phrase often implies that something did not register or was overlooked.

Related terms include vergehen (to pass, to elapse in a more general sense), umgehen (to pass by in a figurative or physical sense), and vorübergehend (temporary, pertaining to a short duration). Vorübergehen is a productive verb in German, while vorübergehende forms function as compounds or adjectives rather than simple past forms.

See also: vergehen, vergehen lassen, vorübergehend, vorübergehend.