versagen
Translation
to fail, to break down, to deny, to refuse
Examples
Die Bremsen haben versagt.
The brakes failed.
Er hat bei der Prüfung versagt.
He failed the exam.
Sie versagte ihm ihre Hilfe.
She denied him her help.
Grammar Patterns
intransitive: to fail, to break down The machine failed.
to fail ((at sth.)) He failed at the exam.
to deny ((sb.)) ((sth.)) The king denied him his request.
Similar Words
Synonyms: scheitern, misslingen; Antonyms: gelingen, funktionieren
Etymology
From 'ver-' (prefix often indicating something going wrong) + 'sagen' (to say). Originally meant 'to speak against', which evolved to 'deny' and then to 'fail to provide what is expected'.
Memory Tips
Think of a machine that was 'told' (sagen) to do something, but it went 'wrong' (ver-), so it failed.