schieflaufen
to go wrong
To not proceed as planned or desired; to fail or go badly.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Organisation der Feier ist leider einiges schiefgelaufen.
Unfortunately, quite a few things went wrong with organizing the party.
schieflaufen
to go wrong
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The verb consists of 'schief' (crooked, askew) and 'laufen' (to run, to go). Literally, it therefore means 'schief laufen' (to run/go crookedly). This figurative origin helps you remember the meaning 'misslingen' (to fail/go badly) or 'fehlschlagen' (to fail).
EXAMPLE
Ich hoffe, bei meiner Prüfung läuft nichts schief.
I hope nothing goes wrong in my exam.
Separable verb
'Schieflaufen' (to go wrong) is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'schief' stands at the end of the sentence. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Bei unserem Experiment lief etwas schief.
Something went wrong with our experiment.
Auxiliary verb in the perfect tense
The perfect tense of 'schieflaufen' (to go wrong) is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be), since it is derived from 'laufen' (a verb of movement). So the correct form is 'es ist schiefgelaufen' (it went wrong).
EXAMPLE
Leider ist bei der Buchung etwas schiefgelaufen.
Unfortunately, something went wrong with the booking.
Typical use
The verb is very often used impersonally or with indefinite subjects such as 'etwas' (something), 'nichts' (nothing), or 'alles' (everything).
EXAMPLE
Was kann schon schieflaufen?
What could possibly go wrong?
Compare with
schieflaufen vs scheitern
to fail
For an unsuccessful project, scheitern and schieflaufen can both fit. Scheitern usually describes the final failure to achieve the goal, while schieflaufen emphasizes that the process is not going as planned and may still be corrected. Use scheitern for the result and schieflaufen for the problematic course of events.
schieflaufen
Das Projekt lief wegen der fehlenden Finanzierung schief, kann aber noch gerettet werden.
The project went wrong because of the lack of funding, but it can still be saved.
scheitern
Das Projekt scheiterte endgültig an der fehlenden Finanzierung.
The project ultimately failed because of the lack of funding.
In real life
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