to decay / disintegrate
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to decay
To fall apart into individual pieces or slowly become damaged through decay and aging. This often refers to buildings, materials, or organic substances.
Die alte Burg ist über die Jahrhunderte langsam zerfallen.
The old castle slowly decayed over the centuries.
'Zerfallen' (to decay / disintegrate) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'zer-' often means that something breaks, dissolves, or falls into pieces. In combination with 'fallen' (to fall), it creates the literal meaning 'auseinander fallen' (to fall apart).
Das alte Manuskript ist bei der Berührung fast zerfallen.
The old manuscript almost disintegrated when touched.
Since 'zerfallen' (to decay / disintegrate) describes a change of state, the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). A common source of mistakes is using 'haben' (to have).
Das Römische Reich ist vor langer Zeit zerfallen.
The Roman Empire collapsed a long time ago.
To describe what something breaks down into, the preposition 'in' is used with the accusative. Typical phrases are 'in Staub zerfallen' (to turn to dust) or 'in seine Einzelteile zerfallen' (to fall apart into its individual pieces).
Nach dem Brand ist das Holzgebäude zu Asche zerfallen.
After the fire, the wooden building turned to ash.
In the figurative meaning, 'zerfallen' (to collapse / fall apart) is used for abstract structures such as a 'Reich' (empire), an 'Allianz' (alliance), a 'Regierung' (government), or a 'Familie' (family) to describe their dissolution.
Nach dem Streit ist die Freundschaft der beiden zerfallen.
After the argument, the friendship between the two fell apart.
The meaning of radioactive decay is almost exclusively limited to the technical language of physics and chemistry. Signal words here are 'Atomkern' (atomic nucleus), 'Isotop' (isotope), or 'Halbwertszeit' (half-life).
Wissenschaftler beobachten, wie der Atomkern zerfällt.
Scientists observe how the atomic nucleus decays.
to break
'brechen' and 'zerfallen' can both describe something no longer staying whole and coming apart. 'brechen' fits better when something suddenly comes apart at one point or breaks into pieces, for example through pressure or movement. 'zerfallen' is used more when something slowly becomes damaged and falls apart into separate pieces, often because of age, moisture, or decay. The words can be confused because in both cases pieces are left in the end. As a guide: 'brechen' sounds more sudden, while 'zerfallen' sounds slower and suggests decay more strongly.
Das leere Haus zerfällt seit Jahren, weil sich niemand darum kümmert.
The empty house has been decaying for years because no one takes care of it.
Bei starkem Wind brach ein Ast vom alten Baum.
In the strong wind, a branch broke off the old tree.