failure / outage
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failure / outage
The sudden stopping of something's function, for example a power outage, system failure, or the absence of a person due to illness.
Der plötzliche Ausfall des Hauptdarstellers zwang das Theater, die Vorstellung abzusagen.
The sudden absence of the lead actor forced the theater to cancel the performance.
'Der Ausfall' (failure/outage) is the noun corresponding to the verb 'ausfallen' (to fail, be canceled, be absent). The verb literally means that something 'falls out' of a system or plan and is therefore no longer functioning or available.
Wegen Krankheit ist heute ein Lehrer ausgefallen.
Because of illness, a teacher is absent today.
You can recognize the meaning of 'Ausfall' (failure/outage) from the context: technology and personnel (system failure), economics (production loss), military (attack), or sports (fencing). The first two meanings are the most common in everyday life.
Der Stromausfall dauerte nur wenige Minuten.
The power outage lasted only a few minutes.
In the meaning of 'Funktionsstörung' (malfunction), 'Ausfall' (failure/outage) is very often used as the second part of compound nouns. Common examples are 'Stromausfall' (power outage), 'Systemausfall' (system failure), 'Netzausfall' (network outage), or 'Personalausfall' (staff shortage/absence).
Wegen eines Netzausfalls konnte ich nicht im Internet surfen.
Because of a network outage, I couldn't surf the internet.
When referring to a financial or production-related loss, 'Ausfall' (loss) is often combined with verbs like 'erleiden' (to suffer), 'verzeichnen' (to record), or 'hinnehmen müssen' (to have to accept).
Die Fluggesellschaft erlitt durch den Vulkanausbruch massive Einnahmeausfälle.
The airline suffered massive revenue losses because of the volcanic eruption.
This meaning of 'Ausfall' as an attack from a besieged position is limited to military or historical jargon. It does not occur in normal everyday usage.
Der Historiker beschrieb den letzten Ausfall der Verteidiger.
The historian described the defenders' final sortie.
attack
'der Angriff' and 'der Ausfall' can both mean an attack in a military sense. 'Angriff' is the general word for a hostile action against someone or something. 'Ausfall' is more specific: it means a sudden attack from a besieged fortress or position. In everyday language, 'Ausfall' usually means something else, for example that technology is not working. That is why the word can easily be confusing. For the general meaning, 'Angriff' almost always fits; 'Ausfall' needs a special military context.
Aus der alten Festung wagten die Soldaten am Abend einen Ausfall.
In the evening, the soldiers dared to make a sortie from the old fortress.
Der Angriff auf das Lager dauerte nur wenige Minuten.
The attack on the camp lasted only a few minutes.