German word

Weile

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈvaɪ̯lə/

Meaning

  • feminine nounwhile

Example

Ich bleibe noch eine Weile hier.

I'll stay here for a little while longer.

Illustration for Weile (while)

More examples

Er blieb für eine Weile im Café, um zu lesen.

He stayed in the café for a while to read.

Core concept

A stretch of time with a loose, limited length, such as the period spent staying somewhere.

Common phrases

  • eine Weile

    a while

  • für eine Weile

    for a while

  • seit einer Weile

    for some time now

Similar words

Augenblick: An extremely brief moment when something happens.
Zeitraum: A defined span of time with clear boundaries.
Zeit: Time in general or as a particular period.
Dauer: The amount of time that something lasts.

Definition in German

ein kurzer bis mäßig langer, nicht genau festgelegter Zeitraum

Word origin

German Weile comes from Old High German wīla and belongs to the same Germanic word family as English while.

Usage tips

  • Weile is feminine, so the common phrase is eine Weile, as in Ich bleibe noch eine Weile hier.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word