eilen
to hurry
To move or travel quickly because one is in a hurry; to rush or hasten.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss jetzt nach Hause eilen, weil ich noch einen Termin habe.
I have to hurry home now because I still have an appointment.
eilen
to hurry
eilen – eilte – hat geeilt
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Meanings
eilen
to be urgent
To be urgent or a priority. Often used in the impersonal form 'es eilt' (it's urgent) to express that something must be done immediately.
EXAMPLE
Können Sie das Paket bitte per Express schicken? Es eilt sehr.
Could you please send the package by express mail? It's very urgent.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry eilen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | eile |
|---|---|
| du | eilst |
| er/sie/es | eilt |
| wir | eilen |
| ihr | eilt |
| sie | eilen |
Simple past
| ich | eilte |
|---|---|
| du | eiltest |
| er/sie/es | eilte |
| wir | eilten |
| ihr | eiltet |
| sie | eilten |
Perfect
with haben or sein
| ich | habe geeilt |
|---|---|
| du | hast geeilt |
| er/sie/es | hat geeilt |
| wir | haben geeilt |
| ihr | habt geeilt |
| sie | haben geeilt |
Commands
| du | eile! eil! |
|---|---|
| ihr | eilt! |
| Sie | eilen Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte geeilt |
|---|---|
| du | hattest geeilt |
| er/sie/es | hatte geeilt |
| wir | hatten geeilt |
| ihr | hattet geeilt |
| sie | hatten geeilt |
Future
| ich | werde eilen |
|---|---|
| du | wirst eilen |
| er/sie/es | wird eilen |
| wir | werden eilen |
| ihr | werdet eilen |
| sie | werden eilen |
Subjunctive I
| ich | eile |
|---|---|
| du | eilest |
| er/sie/es | eile |
| wir | eilen |
| ihr | eilet |
| sie | eilen |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | eilte |
|---|---|
| du | eiltest |
| er/sie/es | eilte |
| wir | eilten |
| ihr | eiltet |
| sie | eilten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | eilen |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu eilen |
| present participle | eilend |
| past participle | geeilt |
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'eilen' (to hurry) belongs to the word family around 'die Eile' (haste), which means 'great haste' or 'urgency'. So someone who 'eilt' (hurries) is 'in Eile' (in a hurry).
EXAMPLE
In großer Eile rannte er zum Bahnhof.
In a great hurry, he ran to the train station.
Context clue
If a person or vehicle is the subject, 'eilen' (to hurry) means to move quickly. If 'es' is the subject, it usually means that something is urgent.
EXAMPLE
Die Sanitäter eilten zum Unfallort.
The paramedics hurried to the scene of the accident.
Bitte beeile dich, es eilt!
Please hurry up, it's urgent!
Perfect with 'sein'
When 'eilen' (to hurry) describes movement toward a destination, the perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein'. Without a clear destination, 'haben' is also possible, but less common.
EXAMPLE
Er ist nach der Arbeit direkt nach Hause geeilt.
After work, he hurried straight home.
Fixed expression
The impersonal form 'es eilt' (it's urgent) is a very common fixed expression. It is used to express that a situation is urgent and requires quick action.
EXAMPLE
Schick mir die Dokumente so schnell wie möglich, es eilt wirklich sehr.
Send me the documents as quickly as possible; it's really very urgent.
Compare with
eilen vs rennen
to run
Rennen and eilen can both refer to moving quickly because of time pressure. Rennen sounds more colloquial and often suggests hurried, concrete movement, while eilen emphasizes urgency more neutrally. Use rennen for actually running quickly and eilen for movement that is generally urgent.
eilen
Ich muss zum Bahnhof eilen, weil mein Zug gleich abfährt.
I have to hurry to the station because my train is about to leave.
rennen
Ich muss zum Bahnhof rennen, weil mein Zug gleich abfährt.
I have to run to the station because my train is about to leave.
In real life
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