to fail
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to fail
To not achieve a goal or plan; to suffer a failure. Often used with 'an etwas' (because of something / on something).
Der Plan ist letztendlich am fehlenden Geld gescheitert.
The plan ultimately failed because of a lack of money.
'Scheitern' (to fail) describes a change of state (from success to failure) and therefore always forms the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). A common source of errors is using 'haben' (to have).
Unser Versuch, den Berg zu besteigen, ist am schlechten Wetter gescheitert.
Our attempt to climb the mountain failed because of the bad weather.
To indicate the reason for the failure, the preposition 'an' is used with the dative. The structure is: scheitern + an + dative.
Die Verhandlungen sind an unüberbrückbaren Differenzen gescheitert.
The negotiations failed because of irreconcilable differences.
The exact meaning of 'scheitern' (to fail) can often be recognized from the subject. If it is a project or a plan, it is about failure. With a marriage or relationship, it means the end. If the subject is a ship, it refers to an accident at sea.
Das Projekt ist an mangelnder Organisation gescheitert.
The project failed because of poor organization.
The original meaning of the word, the wrecking of a ship, is used less often today. You mainly find it in historical or literary texts.
In der Legende scheiterte das Geisterschiff an den Klippen.
In the legend, the ghost ship was wrecked on the cliffs.
to manage / create
'schaffen' and 'scheitern' are opposites when it comes to a goal or a task. You use 'schaffen' when something succeeds and you are successful in the end. You use 'scheitern' when a plan does not work out or a goal is not reached. The contrast is especially clear with exams, projects, or difficult tasks: either you manage it, or you fail at it.
Am nächsten Tag ist der Plan der Freunde an der schlechten Vorbereitung gescheitert.
The next day, the friends' plan failed because of poor preparation.
Trotz wenig Zeit schafft die Klasse das Umweltprojekt bis Freitag.
Despite having little time, the class manages to finish the environmental project by Friday.