eilen

Eilen is a German verb meaning to hurry or hasten. It is used intransitively and typically takes prepositional phrases to indicate the destination or context of the hurry, for example Ich eile nach Hause (I hurry home) or Wir eilen zum Bus (We hurry to the bus). In everyday speech, speakers often use the reflexive verb sich beeilen (to hurry up) to express the idea of hurrying one’s own actions: Ich habe mich beeilt.

Conjugation and grammar: In the present tense, eilen is conjugated as ich eile, du eilst, er eilt, wir eilen, ihr eilt, sie eilen. The simple past (imperfect) forms are ich eilte, du eiltest, er eilte, wir eilten, ihr eiltet, sie eilten. The past participle is geeilt, and the perfect tense is usually formed with sein: Ich bin geeilt. In everyday usage, many speakers prefer to express urgency with sich beeilen rather than using eilen in the perfect.

Usage notes: Eilen is relatively common in standard German but can carry a slightly formal or literary tone in some contexts. The phrase Eile mit Weile (hurry with care) is a well-known idiom that contrasts haste and caution. Eile can also appear with various prepositions to denote direction or purpose, such as eilen zu einer Verabredung (to hurry to an appointment) or eilen zur Arbeit (hurry to work).

Etymology and related terms: Eilen shares its root with the noun Eile, meaning hurry or haste, and comes from older West Germanic roots. Related forms include the reflexive sich beeilen (to hurry oneself) and the noun Eile.

See also: Eile, beeilen.