dauern

Dauern is a German verb meaning to last or endure. It describes the duration of events, processes, or states. The construction is predominantly impersonal, often with the pronoun es, as in Es dauert zwei Stunden, or with a subject such as der Film, die Sitzung, or der Aufenthalt.

In the present tense the forms are: ich dauere, du dauerst, er dauert, wir dauern, ihr dauert, sie dauern. The most common usage uses the impersonal Es dauert …, for example: Es dauert drei Stunden. Questions are formed with Wie lange dauert …?, e.g., Wie lange dauert der Film? The simple past is dauerte, and the perfect is hat gedauert, as in Es hat lange gedauert. The future is formed with wird dauern, for example: Wie lange wird es dauern?

Dauer can also function as a noun. Die Dauer means duration or length of time. It is used with time expressions and possessives, as in Die Dauer des Aufenthalts beträgt zwei Stunden. Die Dauer ist oft wichtiger als die Intensität der Aktivität in zeitlicher Planung. Related adjectives include dauerhaft (long-lasting, permanent) and dauernd (continuous, repeatedly).

Etymologically, duren/ duren traces back to the Germanic family of languages and is linked to terms about time and endurance across related languages. In everyday language, dauernd conveys a sense of steadiness or repetition, while die Dauer focuses on the measurable span of time.

In summary, durar conveys the notion of time passing or persistence, most commonly encountered in Es dauert … constructions, and is complemented by the noun Dauer to discuss explicit time spans.