to mess up / soil
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to mess up
Colloquial for ruining, spoiling, or making something go badly. It can refer to plans, moods, objects, or exams.
Mit deiner schlechten Laune versaust du uns den ganzen Abend.
With your bad mood, you're messing up the whole evening for us.
The word is made up of the prefix 'ver-' and the word 'sauen'. 'Sauen' derives from 'die Sau' (sow/pig) and means to make a big mess. The prefix 'ver-' intensifies the negative meaning here.
Pass auf, dass du mit dem Saft nicht den neuen Teppich versaust!
Be careful not to mess up the new carpet with the juice!
'Versauen' (to mess up / soil) is a strongly colloquial word. In formal situations, such as in an official letter or a presentation, you should avoid it.
Ich habe die Prüfung total versaut.
I totally messed up the exam.
The prefix 'ver-' is inseparable. It stays firmly attached to the verb in all sentence forms and tenses.
Er hat mir die ganze Überraschung versaut.
He messed up the whole surprise for me.
When something is ruined, typical objects are abstract nouns: 'die Stimmung versauen' (to ruin the mood), 'eine Prüfung versauen' (to mess up an exam), 'einen Plan versauen' (to mess up a plan), or 'den Appetit versauen' (to ruin someone's appetite).
Der Regen hat uns den ganzen Ausflug versaut.
The rain messed up the whole outing for us.
In the meaning 'schmutzig machen' (to make dirty), 'versauen' (to soil) always refers to concrete things or places. Typical objects are 'die Kleidung' (clothing), 'das Hemd' (the shirt), 'die Küche' (the kitchen), or 'den Boden' (the floor).
Beim Malen habe ich mir meine ganze Hose versaut.
While painting, I soiled my entire pair of pants.
to save / rescue
'retten' and 'versauen' can be opposites when the outcome of a situation is involved. 'retten' means to rescue someone or something from danger, or to save something from failure. 'versauen' means, colloquially, to ruin something or make it turn out badly. 'retten' sounds neutral and can be used in serious situations. 'versauen' is more everyday language and fits plans, moods, exams, or similar things. In short: someone who 'rettet' something prevents the damage; someone who 'versaut' something causes or increases the damage.
Mit seiner schlechten Laune hat Paul fast den ganzen Abend versaut.
With his bad mood, Paul almost ruined the whole evening.
Mina rettet die Präsentation, weil sie die fehlenden Zahlen schnell findet.
Mina saves the presentation because she quickly finds the missing figures.