Which one should you use?
While vermasselt describes failing a task or making a mistake, Durcheinandergebracht is used to describe something that has been messed up or thrown into disorder. For situations that have drastically failed or gone completely wrong, the informal phrase In die Hose gegangen is often used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
vermasselt is an informal term and is not suitable for highly formal professional reports or academic writing.
How does it change in a sentence?
vermasselt is the past participle of the transitive verb vermasseln. As a transitive verb, vermasseln requires a direct object (accusative) to indicate what was messed up. The form vermasselt is the past participle used to form the perfect tense, such as Ich habe es vermasselt (I have messed it up).
Did you know?
- While vermasselt describes a failure, the phrase in die Hose gegangen literally translates to 'it went into the trousers'. This colorful idiom suggests a leak or a spill, implying the situation has completely collapsed.
- The word vermasselt contains the root Maß, which refers to 'measure' or 'scale'. It originally suggested that someone had completely lost track of the correct proportions or measurements in a task.
- The informal term verhaun is a shortened version of verhauen, which literally means 'to beat up' or 'to hammer'. In the context of messing up, it suggests you have 'beaten' the task into a ruined state.
Examples in context
- Ihr habt es vermasselt.You guys messed up.This sentence is useful for showing how to use vermasselt with a subject and object.Tatoeba #8060309 by Luiaard, translation #5389646 by CK
- Er hat die Prüfung vermasselt.He messed up the exam.
- Ich habe die Prüfung voll vermasselt.I completely messed up the exam.
- Wir haben die ganze Planung vermasselt.We messed up the entire plan.
Example conversation
Maximilian and Sarah are talking about a failed project.
- MaximilianIch glaube, ich habe die Präsentation vermasselt.I think I messed up the presentation.
- SarahWarum denkst du das, Maximilian?Why do you think that, Maximilian?
- MaximilianIch habe die wichtigsten Folien vergessen.I forgot the most important slides.
- SarahMach dir keine Sorgen, Sarah hilft dir.Don't worry, Sarah will help you.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
