to decay / expire
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to decay
For buildings or objects: to fall into a poor, dilapidated condition due to lack of care or age.
Das alte Schloss auf dem Hügel ist seit Jahrzehnten unbewohnt und sichtlich verfallen.
The old castle on the hill has been uninhabited for decades and has visibly decayed.
'Verfallen' (to decay/expire) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the verb stem in all conjugated forms and sentence positions.
Ich fürchte, mein Kinoticket ist bereits verfallen.
I'm afraid my movie ticket has already expired.
The perfect tense of 'verfallen' (to decay/expire) is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be), because it describes a process or a change of state. So it is 'ist verfallen' (has decayed/expired).
Die alte Mühle am Fluss ist über die Jahre komplett verfallen.
The old mill by the river has completely decayed over the years.
The meaning can often be recognized from the subject or the sentence structure. Buildings 'verfallen' (become dilapidated), vouchers 'verfallen' (become invalid/expire), a person 'verfällt' someone or something (dative), or 'verfällt auf' an idea (preposition).
Das alte Bauernhaus ist leider schon stark verfallen.
Unfortunately, the old farmhouse has already decayed badly.
In the meaning 'to become invalid', 'verfallen' is often combined with deadlines or things with limited validity: a ticket, a voucher, an offer, a claim, or an option expires.
Lösen Sie den Gutschein schnell ein, bevor er verfällt.
Redeem the voucher quickly before it expires.
When a person 'verfällt' (becomes enthralled by / addicted to) another person or a thing, the object is in the dative. This construction expresses strong emotional dependence or subservience.
Sie ist seinem Lächeln sofort verfallen.
She was immediately enthralled by his smile.
The meaning 'to come up with an idea' is expressed by the fixed expression 'auf etwas verfallen' (to hit upon something). The preposition 'auf' is always followed by the accusative here.
Wie bist du nur auf die absurde Idee verfallen, nachts schwimmen zu gehen?
How on earth did you hit upon the absurd idea of going swimming at night?
to apply / be valid
'gelten' and 'verfallen' are opposites when it comes to validity. Something 'gilt' as long as it is still valid and can be used. Something 'verfällt' when this validity is lost, often after a deadline. This is said especially about vouchers, tickets, rights, or claims. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with deadlines. Put simply: before the date, the voucher 'gilt'; after the date, it is 'verfallen'.
Wenn du den Gutschein nicht bald benutzt, verfällt er am Freitag.
If you don't use the voucher soon, it will expire on Friday.
Die Eintrittskarte gilt auch für die Rückfahrt mit dem Bus.
The admission ticket is also valid for the return trip by bus.