vertan
Translation
wasted, squandered, missed (opportunity)
Examples
Die Chance ist nun vertan.
The chance is now wasted.
Das Geld war schnell vertan.
The money was quickly squandered.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) is wasted The effort was wasted.
Similar Words
verschwendet (wasted), verpasst (missed); Antonyms: genutzt (used), ergriffen (seized)
Etymology
Past participle of 'vertun', from 'ver-' (prefix indicating something going wrong) + 'tun' (to do). Literally 'mis-done' or 'done away with'.
Memory Tips
Think of the 'ver-' prefix as meaning 'wrong' or 'away'. You 'tun' (do) something, but 'ver-' makes it a mistake, so it's 'vertan' (wasted).