One small word does a lot of quiet work in German, gently managing expectations in everything from headlines to signs taped on office doors and shop windows.
What does Vorübergehend mean?
At its simplest, the German word vorübergehend means "temporary" or "passing", describing something that’s in place for now, but not forever.
You’ll often see it in official language: Zugverkehr vorübergehend eingestellt (train service temporarily suspended) is a classic, for example.
The word paints a picture. Pronounced like this, it’s built from vorüber (past or over) and gehend (going), from gehen (to go). Something vorübergehend is literally "going past".
Grammatically, vorübergehend is most commonly used as an adverb (Das ist vorübergehend – that’s temporary), but it also works as an adjective (ein vorübergehender Zustand – a temporary state).
READ ALSO: The history of the German umlaut
In German, you’ll also come across a number of near‑neighbours with slightly different inclinations.
Provisorisch (provisional), for example, suggests something makeshift or held together with metaphorical duct tape, while eine Zwischenlösung (an interim solution) is the classic stopgap.
Der Zwischenaufenthalt (the interim stay) is another handy word for describing layovers and short stays.
Why do I need to know Vorübergehend?
On a practical level, vorübergehend helps you describe short‑term jobs, temporary accommodation, school closures, price rises, and all those arrangements that are "just for now". In other words, much of everyday life.
But it also does something subtler. Learning a new language reshapes how you think and vorübergehend is a useful reminder in difficult moments that nothing lasts forever – not bureaucratic chaos, not political movements and certainly not bold promises of permanent fixes.
READ ALSO: Majority of bilingual people in Germany mostly speak another language at home
Arguably, this was the message which Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (regarded as one of the most important German-language writers of the 19th century) wanted to send when she wrote:
Der Gedanke an die Vergänglichkeit aller irdischen Dinge ist ein Quell unendlichen Leids – und ein Quell unendlichen Trostes.
Literally, this means: "The thought of the transience of all earthly things is a source of infinite sorrow – and a source of infinite consolation".
For modern ears, however, it's perhaps easier to paraphrase it as "everything that exists is temporary."
Use it like this:
Die Streiks bei der Deutschen Bahn sind vorübergehend und sollen nächste Woche enden
The strikes at Deutsche Bahn are temporary and meant to end next week
Hoffentlich ist die Preiserhöhung für Benzin nur vorübergehend
Hopefully the increase in petrol prices is just temporary
Er hat vorübergehend seinen Job gekündigt, um sich weiterzubilden
He temporarily quit his job to pursue further training
READ ALSO: Will I ever pronounce German words like a native speaker?
Die Schließung der Schule ist vorübergehend wegen Renovierungsarbeiten
The school closure is temporary due to renovation work
Wegen des schlechten Wetters ist der Spielbetrieb vorübergehend unterbrochen
Due to bad weather, play has been temporarily suspended
Comments (1)