schwindet

Schwindet is the third-person singular present indicative form of the German verb schwinden, meaning to wane, diminish, or vanish. It is used to describe a gradual reduction in quantity, strength, or visibility, as well as the fading away of abstract conditions such as hope or courage. In literary and formal prose, the verb often conveys a sense of ongoing decline.

Schwinden is a strong verb in German, with irregular past forms. The Präteritum (simple past) forms include schwand (singular) and schwanden (plural), and the past participle is geschwunden, used with auxiliary sein to form the perfect: ist geschwunden. The present tense has forms like ich schwinde, du schwindest, er schwindet, wir schwinden, ihr schwindet, sie schwinden, with schwindet serving as the common third-person singular form in sentences such as “Die Hoffnung schwindet.”

Usage and nuance: schwindet commonly appears with nouns denoting quantity, capacity, or visibility, for example “Die Hoffnung schwindet,” “Die Kräfte schwinden,” or “Das Licht schwindet im Abendlicht.” Figurative usage is widespread, often describing decline in morale, political support, or natural phenomena over time. It carries a formal or poetic register and is less common in everyday spoken German than synonyms like “nachlassen” or “verschwinden.”

Related terms include schwinden as the infinitive and geschwunden as the past participle. The word is distinct from similarly sounding terms such as Schwindel (dizziness or deceit) and should not be confused with those roots.

Overall, schwindet denotes a gradual, ongoing diminution and is a staple for conveying fading intensity in written German.