verb
to hurry, to rush
B1
'eilen': to hurry, to rush. Typically intransitive: 'ich eile' or 'er eilte'; often replaced by reflexive 'sich beeilen' for 'to hurry oneself'. Uses sein as auxiliary in perfect (bin geeilt). Regular weak verb, participle 'geeilt'; not separable and imperfect 'eilte'.
Examples
Er eilte zum Bahnhof, weil der Zug früher losfuhr.
He hurried to the station because the train left earlier.
Wenn du eilst, pass auf den Verkehr auf.
If you rush, watch out for traffic.
Ich eile zur Arbeit, weil ich spät dran bin.
I'm hurrying to work because I'm running late.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture someone 'ailing' to catch a bus, running quickly
sounds like 'isle' — imagine rushing across a small island
Notes
Perfekt often formed with 'sein' when indicating quick movement to a place (z. B. 'Er ist zur Arbeit geeilt'). | Intransitive verb; passive forms are not applicable.