verhauen
to beat up
To hit or beat someone physically. This expression is colloquial.
EXAMPLE
Er drohte damit, ihn nach der Schule zu verhauen.
He threatened to beat him up after school.
verhauen
to beat up / to mess up
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Meanings
verhauen
to mess up
To do something badly, fail an assignment or exam, or ruin a result. This expression is colloquial.
EXAMPLE
Ich glaube, ich habe die Matheprüfung total verhauen.
I think I totally messed up the math exam.
sich verhauen
to make a mistake
To misspeak, make a writing error, or make a typo; to make a mistake when speaking or writing.
EXAMPLE
Entschuldigung, da habe ich mich beim Datum wohl verhauen.
Sorry, I must have made a mistake with the date there.
Usage tips
Inseparable verb
'Verhauen' is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ver-' remains firmly attached to the verb 'hauen' in all tenses and sentence types and is never placed at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Er hat die Prüfung leider verhauen.
Unfortunately, he messed up the exam.
Register: colloquial
All meanings of 'verhauen' are colloquial. In formal or written contexts, you should generally avoid the word.
EXAMPLE
Sag deinem Chef nicht, dass du die Präsentation „verhauen“ hast.
Don't tell your boss that you 'messed up' the presentation.
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning from the object or the reflexive pronoun: if the object is a person, it is about hitting. If the object is a thing (exam, assignment), it is about failing or messing something up. If the verb is reflexive ('sich verhauen'), it is about a slip of the tongue or a typo.
EXAMPLE
Die Bande hat ihn nach der Schule verhauen. (schlagen)
The gang beat him up after school. (hit)
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'to do something badly', the verb is often combined with exams, assignments, or performances: 'eine Prüfung verhauen' (to mess up an exam), 'ein Interview verhauen' (to mess up an interview), 'einen Vortrag verhauen' (to mess up a talk/presentation).
EXAMPLE
Ich habe Angst, dass ich das Vorstellungsgespräch verhaue.
I'm afraid I'll mess up the job interview.
Sentence structure with 'sich verhauen'
When you misspeak or make a typo, the verb is always reflexive. It is often expanded with the preposition 'bei' and the dative to indicate where the mistake occurred.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe mich beim Rechnen um 10 Euro verhauen.
I made a mistake of 10 euros when doing the calculation.
Compare with
verhauen vs versauen
to mess up / soil
Both words can indicate that an exam or task went badly. “Versauen” emphasizes more generally and more crudely that you messed something up, while “verhauen” more often refers specifically to your own poor performance or a bad result. “Verhauen” is therefore often suitable for an exam that went badly, but “versauen” is also possible.
verhauen
Ich habe die wichtige Prüfung total verhauen.
I totally messed up the important exam.
versauen
Ich habe die wichtige Prüfung total versaut.
I totally messed up the important exam.
In real life
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