verfließen

Verfließen is a German verb meaning to flow away or to elapse, especially regarding the passage of time, moments, or memories that slip by. It is primarily used in figurative senses; for physical liquids the verb fließen is more common. In poetic or literary contexts verfließen often conveys a sense of continuous, irreversible movement, sometimes with a sense of wistful nostalgia.

Etymology and grammar: The verb is formed from fließen with the prefix ver-, indicating completion or disappearance. Verfließen is intransitive and uses sein in the perfect: Die Zeit ist verflossen. In the present tense the forms are: ich verfließe, du verfließt, er verfließt, wir verfließen, ihr verfließt, sie verfließen. The simple past is verfloss (du verflossest, er verfloss), and the past participle is verflossen, as in "Die Zeit ist verflossen."

Usage notes and examples: Typical subjects include Zeit, Augenblicke, Erinnerungen, Ereignisse. Verfließen emphasizes a flowing, ongoing progression and a sense of irreversibility, which distinguishes it from vergehen, though both can mean "to pass." It is more common in literary or formal language; in everyday speech vergehen or verrinnen may be preferred. Examples: Die Zeit ist verflossen. Die Augenblicke verfließen in der Stille. Die Erinnerungen verflossen langsam aus dem Gedächtnis.