dringend
urgent
Dringend (urgent, urgently) is the German word for something that needs attention right away. You'll use it in ein dringender Fall (an urgent case), ich muss dringend mit dir reden (I urgently need to talk to you), and dringend benötigt (urgently needed). One handy feature: the same word covers both the adjective "urgent" and the adverb "urgently", with no change in form.
As an adjective it takes regular endings: eine dringende Nachricht (an urgent message), aus dringenden Gründen (for urgent reasons). As an adverb it stays exactly the same: wir brauchen das dringend (we need that urgently). German does not add a separate "-ly" ending the way English does.
The comparative is dringender (more urgent) and the superlative is am dringendsten (most urgent), as in die dringendste Aufgabe (the most urgent task). These forms come up often in formal and workplace German.
Dringend comes from the verb dringen (to press, to urge). A couple of close synonyms are worth knowing: dringlich means much the same but feels more formal and bureaucratic, and eilig emphasizes haste, as in ich habe es eilig (I'm in a hurry).
Pronunciation: "DRING-ent", with stress on the first syllable. The final "d" hardens to a "t" sound, which German regularly does at the end of a word.
English
urgent
Positive
dringend
Comparative
dringender
Superlative
am dringendsten
Synonyms
Antonyms
dringend appears in the following vocabulary collections:
Ich brauche dringend Wasser.
I urgently need water.
Adverb goes after the verb for emphasis on urgency.
Wir müssen dringend sprechen.
We must talk urgently.
Modal verb sends the main verb to the end.
Sie hat eine dringende Frage.
She has an urgent question.
Attributive adjective takes an ending before a feminine noun.
- What does dringend mean in German?
- Dringend means "urgent" or "urgently" in German. It describes something that needs immediate attention, as in ein dringender Fall (an urgent case) or ich brauche das dringend (I need that urgently).
- Is dringend an adjective or an adverb?
- Both. Dringend is an adjective when it describes a noun (eine dringende Nachricht, an urgent message) and an adverb when it modifies a verb (dringend brauchen, to urgently need). German uses the same form for both, with no "-ly" ending.
- What is the comparative of dringend?
- The comparative is dringender (more urgent) and the superlative is am dringendsten (most urgent). For example, die dringendste Frage means "the most urgent question".
- What is the difference between dringend and eilig?
- Dringend stresses that something is important and needs attention now. Eilig stresses haste or being in a rush, as in ich habe es eilig (I am in a hurry). A task can be dringend without you personally being eilig.
- How do you pronounce dringend?
- Dringend is pronounced "DRING-ent", with stress on the first syllable. The "-ng-" sounds like the ending of English "sing", and the final "d" hardens to a "t", a regular feature of German word endings.