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.
to fail
The end of a relationship or marriage; the breakdown of a partnership.
Nach vielen gemeinsamen Jahren ist ihre Ehe leider gescheitert.
After many years together, their marriage unfortunately failed.
to be wrecked
The wrecking of a ship against an obstacle such as rocks or a coast.
Das antike Schiff ist vor der griechischen Küste an einem Riff gescheitert.
The ancient ship was wrecked on a reef off the Greek coast.
'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 fail / to deny
Scheitern generally means not achieving a goal; external obstacles may also be decisive. Versagen focuses more on judging one’s own performance as inadequate. If a task could not be completed because of external circumstances, scheitern is more appropriate; when the cause is inadequate personal performance, use versagen.
Trotz guter Vorbereitung scheiterte sie an den plötzlich geänderten Bedingungen.
Despite her thorough preparation, she failed because of the suddenly changed conditions.
Trotz guter Bedingungen versagte sie, weil sie sich nicht vorbereitet hatte.
Despite the favorable conditions, she failed because she had not prepared.
