bilden

Bilden is a German verb that means to form, shape, or to educate. It is used for physical formation as well as intellectual development, and it appears in compounds such as ausbilden (to train or educate) and Bildung (education or formation).

Etymology: The verb is of Germanic origin and is related to nouns such as Bild (image) and Bildung (formation). Its core sense is to bring something into a formed state or to develop a person’s abilities.

Conjugation and usage: Bilden is a weak verb. In the present tense it forms as ich bilde, du bildest, er bildet, wir bilden, ihr bildet, sie bilden. The Präteritum (simple past) forms as ich bildete, du bildetest, er bildete, wir bildeten, ihr bildetet, sie bildeten. The past participle is gebildet, typically used with the auxiliary haben. The verb appears in phrases such as eine Figur aus LEGO bilden (to form a figure from LEGO) or eine Meinung bilden (to form an opinion). In the sense of education, ausbilden is used to denote training, while Bildung is the noun for education or cultural formation.

In culture and education: Bildung is a central concept in German-speaking regions, referring to liberal education and personal development, and it features prominently in philosophy and social thought. The term yields related expressions such as Bildungsweg (educational path) and Bildungsniveau (level of education).

Other languages: The root appears in other West Germanic languages; for instance, Dutch beeld- forms relate to image or depiction, reflecting a shared origin in concepts of forming or representing.