Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| einstürzen | |
| kollabieren | /kɔlaˈbiːrən/ |
| zusammenfallen | /tsuˈzamənˌfalən/ |
The meaning of the translation depends on whether you are describing a physical, medical or abstract event. For a general collapse, such as a mental breakdown or a sudden economic collapse, you can use the noun der Zusammenbruch.
Which one should you use?
The German language uses different words for collapse depending on the context. Use einstürzen specifically for physical structures like buildings, walls or bridges. Use kollabieren for medical contexts, such as a person collapsing or systemic contexts, such as an economy or a system collapsing. Use zusammenfallen when talking about abstract things like dates or events coinciding or 'falling together' in time.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle forms for these verbs are: eingestürzt for einstürzen, kollabiert for kollabieren and zusammengefallen for zusammenfallen.
Did you know?
- The verb stürzen inside einstürzen can also mean 'to plunge' or 'to fall' in a romantic sense, as in stürzen into love.
- The verb stürzen is also used in the political phrase die Regierung stürzen, meaning 'to overthrow' or 'collapse' a government.
- The word zusammenfallen in the sense of 'merging' or 'coinciding' is likely a calque, or a literal translation, of the Latin word coincidēre.
Examples in context
- Es wird gleich einstürzen.It's going to collapse.This sentence is useful for seeing how to express that something is about to collapse using einstürzen.Tatoeba #3109716 by Manfredo, translation #2891585 by CK
- Der Turm ist am Einstürzen.The tower is going to collapse.This sentence shows the use of einstürzen to describe a tower in the process of collapsing.Tatoeba #746020 by Esperantostern, translation #44767 by CK
- Niemand sonst darf das Gebäude betreten, da es jeden Moment einstürzen könnte.Nobody else can enter the building, as it could collapse at any moment.This sentence demonstrates how to use einstürzen to describe the immediate danger of a building collapsing.Tatoeba #6831217 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1205610 by AlanF_US
- Der wirtschaftliche Zusammenbruch führte zu vielen Arbeitsplatzverlusten.The economic collapse led to many job losses.
- Der Patient erlitt einen plötzlichen Kollaps.The patient suffered a sudden collapse.
- Der Einsturz des Gebäudes war eine tragische Katastrophe.The collapse of the building was a tragic disaster.
- Nach jahrelangen Verlusten steht die Firma kurz vor dem Bankrott.After years of losses, the company is on the verge of collapse.
- Sein Selbstvertrauen erlitt einen schweren Absturz nach dem Vorfall.His self-confidence experienced a severe collapse after the incident.
- Nach einem langen Arbeitstag fühlte er sich, als ob er gleich kollabieren würde.After a long day at work, he felt like he was about to collapse.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Hannah are looking at an old, damaged building.
- JulianVorsicht, das Haus könnte jederzeit einstürzen!Watch out, the house could collapse at any time!
- HannahOh nein, das sieht wirklich gefährlich aus.Oh no, that looks really dangerous.
- JulianWir müssen schnell hier weggehen.We need to get away from here quickly.
- HannahDu hast recht, lass uns gehen.You are right, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “collapse” translations and entries einstürzen, kollabieren, zusammenfallen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries einstürzen, kollabieren, zusammenfallen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
