schief|gehen
Translation
to go wrong, to fail, to go awry
Examples
Der Plan ist schiefgegangen.
The plan went wrong.
Hoffentlich geht nichts schief.
Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.
Bei der Prüfung ist alles schiefgegangen.
Everything went wrong on the exam.
Grammar Patterns
etwas geht schief sth. goes wrong The plan went wrong.
((bei+3)) to go wrong with sth. Something went wrong with the experiment.
Similar Words
Synonyms: misslingen, fehlschlagen; Antonyms: gelingen, klappen (to succeed)
Etymology
Literally means 'to go crooked'. Composed of 'schief' (crooked) + 'gehen' (to go).
Memory Tips
Picture something literally 'going' in a 'crooked' direction instead of straight, which leads to failure.