to skip
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to skip
Colloquial for deliberately and without permission staying away from school lessons or another mandatory event.
Er hat gestern die letzte Stunde geschwänzt, um mit seinen Freunden ins Kino zu gehen.
He skipped the last class yesterday to go to the movies with his friends.
The verb 'schwänzen' (to skip) is related to the noun 'der Schwanz' (tail). It creates the image of someone secretly sneaking away like an animal with its tail tucked in.
Er schwänzte die Schule, um ins Schwimmbad zu gehen.
He skipped school to go to the swimming pool.
'Schwänzen' (to skip) is a colloquial word. It is used in everyday speech among friends or in informal conversations, but not in official documents or very formal situations.
Hast du heute Morgen auch die erste Stunde geschwänzt?
Did you skip first period this morning too?
This verb is almost always used in connection with school or university. Typical accusative objects are 'die Schule' (school), 'den Unterricht' (class/lessons), 'eine Stunde' (a class period), or 'die Vorlesung' (the lecture).
Viele Schüler haben am letzten Schultag geschwänzt.
Many students skipped school on the last day of school.
to be absent / to be missing
Fehlen initially only says that someone is not attending a class or an expected event; the reason remains open. Schwänzen is colloquial and means deliberately staying away without permission. Fehlen is therefore appropriate in the case of illness, while schwänzen is appropriate for deliberate absence.
Jonas schwänzte gestern den Unterricht, um ins Freibad zu gehen.
Jonas skipped class yesterday to go to the outdoor pool.
Jonas fehlte gestern im Unterricht, weil er krank war.
Jonas was absent from class yesterday because he was ill.
