chance / coincidence
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chance / coincidence
An event that occurs without any recognizable intention, plan, or apparent reason.
Es war reiner Zufall, dass ich sie nach so vielen Jahren wiedergetroffen habe.
It was pure coincidence that I met her again after so many years.
by chance
Unplanned, by chance.
Ich habe diese kleine Buchhandlung nur durch Zufall entdeckt.
I discovered this little bookstore only by chance.
to leave nothing to chance
To plan and prepare everything very carefully in order to avoid unforeseen events.
Bei der Organisation der Konferenz wurde nichts dem Zufall überlassen.
When organizing the conference, nothing was left to chance.
The word is made up of 'zu' and 'Fall'. The literal idea is that something 'zufällt' (falls to someone by chance), meaning it happens without a plan or intention.
Dass wir uns im Urlaub getroffen haben, war ein unglaublicher Zufall.
The fact that we met on vacation was an incredible coincidence.
The adjective and adverb 'zufällig' (random / by chance) are derived from the noun 'der Zufall' (chance / coincidence). It describes that something happens without a plan.
Ich habe sie zufällig in der Stadt gesehen.
I saw her by chance in town.
'Zufall' (chance / coincidence) is often combined with adjectives that evaluate the event. Common phrases are 'ein reiner Zufall' (pure coincidence), 'ein glücklicher Zufall' (a lucky coincidence), or 'ein dummer Zufall' (an unfortunate coincidence).
Es war ein glücklicher Zufall, dass der Arzt sofort zur Stelle war.
It was a lucky coincidence that the doctor was there immediately.
The expression 'durch Zufall' (by chance) works like an adverb and often appears at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. If it is in position 1, the verb follows directly after it.
Durch Zufall fand ich die Lösung des Problems.
By chance, I found the solution to the problem.
In the fixed expression 'nichts dem Zufall überlassen' (to leave nothing to chance), the word 'Zufall' is always in the dative. The construction means that you plan everything very carefully.
Für ihre Prüfungsvorbereitung hat sie nichts dem Zufall überlassen.
For her exam preparation, she left nothing to chance.
happiness / luck
Zufall only means that something happens unintentionally and without any recognizable purpose; the result can be good, bad, or neutral. Glück describes such a coincidence as favorable for someone. When the personal benefit matters, Glück is the better fit.
Es war Zufall, dass Lea im Zug ihre frühere Lehrerin traf.
It was a coincidence that Lea met her former teacher on the train.
Es war Glück, dass Lea im Zug eine Ärztin traf, die sofort half.
Lea was lucky to meet a doctor on the train who helped her immediately.
