Wir eilen zum Bahnhof.

We hurry to the train station.

Breakdown of Wir eilen zum Bahnhof.

• wir: we
• der Bahnhof: the train station
• zum: to the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
• eilen: to hurry

Questions & Answers about Wir eilen zum Bahnhof.

What does eilen mean exactly, and how is it different from sich beeilen?

Both are related to hurrying, but they’re used slightly differently:

• eilen = to hurry, to rush, to go quickly

  • Focuses more on moving quickly somewhere.
  • Wir eilen zum Bahnhof. = We hurry / rush to the train station.

• sich beeilen = to hurry up

  • More like telling someone to be faster, to get a move on.
  • Wir beeilen uns. = We’re hurrying (up).

You could also say:

• Wir beeilen uns und gehen zum Bahnhof. = We hurry up and go to the station.

Both are correct, but eilen sounds a bit more formal or literary than sich beeilen, which is more common in everyday speech.

Is eilen a regular verb? How do you conjugate it in the present tense?

Yes, eilen is a regular (weak) verb.

Present tense conjugation:

• ich eile – I hurry
• du eilst – you hurry (informal singular)
• er / sie / es eilt – he / she / it hurries
• wir eilen – we hurry
• ihr eilt – you hurry (informal plural)
• sie eilen – they hurry / Sie eilen – you hurry (formal)

So Wir eilen zum Bahnhof uses the normal wir form.

Why is it zum Bahnhof and not zu dem Bahnhof?

Zum is just the standard contraction of zu dem:

• zu (to) + dem (dative masculine/neuter the) → zum

German almost always contracts these in normal speech and writing:

• zu dem Haus → zum Haus
• zu dem Bahnhof → zum Bahnhof

Both zu dem Bahnhof and zum Bahnhof are grammatically correct, but zum Bahnhof sounds natural; zu dem Bahnhof only appears if you really want to emphasize dem (e.g. to that particular station).

Why do we use zu here and not nach or in?

Rough rule of thumb:

• zu
  • dative → going to a person or a relatively small/local place:
    • zu Paul, zur Schule, zum Arzt, zum Bahnhof
• nach → going to cities, countries (without article), and directions:
  • nach Berlin, nach Deutschland, nach Norden
• in
  • accusative → going into an enclosed space or area:
    • in die Stadt, ins Kino, in den Bahnhof (into the station building)

Wir eilen zum Bahnhof = We’re heading to the station (as a destination).
If you wanted to emphasize going inside the station building, you might say:

• Wir eilen in den Bahnhof.

What case does zu take, and what case is Bahnhof in here?

zu always takes the dative case.

• Bahnhof is masculine: der Bahnhof.
• Masculine dative singular is dem.

So: zu + dem Bahnhof → dative → contracts to zum Bahnhof.

That means Bahnhof is in the dative case in this sentence.

What gender is Bahnhof, and what is its article in the nominative?

Bahnhof (train station) is masculine:

• Nominative singular: der Bahnhof
• Accusative singular: den Bahnhof
• Dative singular: dem Bahnhof

In the sentence Wir eilen zum Bahnhof, you see it with dem hidden inside zum (zu dem).

Why is the verb eilen in second position? Could I say Zum Bahnhof eilen wir?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb comes in second position, but “second” means second element, not second word.

• Wir (1st element) eilen (2nd element) zum Bahnhof (3rd element).

You can also put another element first and push the subject after the verb:

• Zum Bahnhof (1st element) eilen (2nd element) wir (3rd element).

Zum Bahnhof eilen wir is correct and sounds like a slight emphasis on to the station (e.g. in contrast to some other place).

Can you drop the subject wir like in Spanish or Italian?

No. German is not a “pro‑drop” language. You must include the subject pronoun in normal sentences:

• Wir eilen zum Bahnhof. ✓
• Eilen zum Bahnhof. ✗ (wrong in standard German)

You can omit the subject only in special cases, like informal imperatives:

• Eil dich! / Beeil dich! = Hurry up! (informal command)

How would I say “We are hurrying to the station right now” in German? Is there a special progressive tense?

German usually uses the simple present for both:

• Wir eilen zum Bahnhof.
• Context can mean: We hurry to the station / We are hurrying to the station (now).

If you want to stress “right now”, you add an adverb:

• Wir eilen gerade zum Bahnhof.
• Wir eilen jetzt zum Bahnhof.

German doesn’t have an obligatory -ing-type progressive form like English does.

Is Bahnhof the same as “station”, or is there a difference from words like Haltestelle or Station?

Bahnhof specifically means a railway station (for trains):

• Bahnhof = train station (usually with tracks, platforms, etc.)

Other common words:

• Haltestelle = stop (for buses, trams, etc.), not a full train station.
• Station = used in some compound nouns (e.g. U‑Bahn‑Station) or in medical contexts (hospital ward).

So zum Bahnhof means “to the train station”, not just any random stop.

How do you pronounce Wir eilen zum Bahnhof?

Key points:

• W in Wir and Bahnhof sounds like English V:
  • Wir ≈ “veer”
  • Bahnhof ≈ “BAHN‑hof” (not “ban‑hoff”)
• ei in eilen is like English eye:
  • eilen ≈ “EYE‑len”
• zum has a ts sound at the beginning:
  • zu → “tsoo”; zum ≈ “tsoom”

Put together: something like “veer EYE-len tsoom BAHN-hof”.

Is Wir eilen zum Bahnhof formal, informal, or neutral in style?

Grammatically it’s neutral, but eilen sounds a bit bookish / formal / literary in modern spoken German.

Everyday speech would more often use:

• Wir beeilen uns und gehen zum Bahnhof.
• Wir laufen schnell zum Bahnhof. (We’re quickly walking to the station.)
• Wir rennen zum Bahnhof. (We’re running to the station.)

Wir eilen zum Bahnhof would still be understood; it just sounds slightly more elevated or story‑like.

How would I negate this sentence: “We are not hurrying to the station”?

You negate the verb with nicht:

• Wir eilen nicht zum Bahnhof.
  = We are not hurrying to the station.

nicht usually goes before the prepositional phrase (zum Bahnhof) when you’re negating the action itself.