Verb

gelingen

Translation

to succeed, to manage, to work out

Es gelingt mir, das Rätsel zu lösen.

I succeed in solving the riddle.

Der Kuchen ist ihm gut gelungen.

The cake turned out well for him.

Hoffentlich gelingt der Plan.

Hopefully, the plan will succeed.

((sb.dat)) gelingt ((sth.nom)) sb. succeeds in sth. Der Versuch ist mir gelungen.

es gelingt ((sb.dat)), ((zu+infinitive)) sb. succeeds in doing sth. Es gelingt ihr, die Prüfung zu bestehen.

Synonyms: schaffen, klappen; Antonyms: misslingen, scheitern

The prefix 'ge-' often indicates a result or completion. The root is related to an old verb for 'to go' or 'to leap'. So, 'to reach a goal'.

Remember that 'gelingen' is impersonal and takes a dative object. 'Es gelingt mir' means 'It succeeds for me', which translates to 'I succeed'.