vorbeifließt

Vorbeifließen is a German verb that denotes the act of passing by or elapsing, typically referring to time, moments or events that move past a point without a distinctive interruption. It conveys a sense of continuous movement through duration, rather than a single event occurring at a specific moment.

Etymologie: The word combines seitlich or directional sense of vorbei (by, past) with fließen (to flow). In this metaphorical use, time or events are described as flowing past, similar to a river passing by.

Usage and nuance: The verb is most often used with subjects such as time, hours, days or moments, for example die Zeit fließt vorbei. It can also describe opportunities or experiences that pass without being seized. In everyday language, the common construction is two words: fließt vorbei. The one-word form vorbeifließen is found in dictionaries and some literary contexts, but it is far less common in contemporary speech.

Grammatikale Hinweise: In the present tense, the standard form for the third-person singular is fließt vorbei (er fließt vorbei). The form vorgefasst as vorbeifließt is the corresponding singular present form of the less common or more formal one-word variant vorbeifließen; usage tends to favor the two-word construction in ordinary writing.

Beispiele:

- Die Zeit fließt vorbei, während wir warten. (Time flows by while we wait.)

- Stunden fließen vorbei, ohne dass sich etwas ändert. (Hours pass by without change.)

- Chancen können vorbeifließen, wenn man zögert. (Opportunities can pass by if one hesitates.)

Siehe auch: vergehen, verfließen, vorbeigehen, vorbeischauen.