Durchfallen

Durchfallen is a German verb with a separable prefix, used primarily in two related but distinct senses. The most common meaning is to fail to pass something, especially an examination, test, or selection process. In this sense it is equivalent to “to fail” or “to not succeed.” A second, broader sense is to fail to come to fruition or to be rejected as a plan or proposal, i.e., to “fall through.”

Grammatical notes: In present tense the prefix is separated, as in ich falle durch, du fällst durch, er fällt durch. In perfect and passive constructions the participle is used with the auxiliary haben or sein, most often sein in intransitive uses: ich bin durchgefallen; er ist bei der Prüfung durchgefallen. The verb can also be used with wie-phrases to specify the context, e.g., bei der Prüfung durchfallen, in einem Auswahlverfahren durchfallen, einen Antrag durchfallen lassen (the latter is less common and often expressed differently). The related noun form is das Durchfallen, though in practice speakers typically use durchgefallen as the past participle.

Common contexts include:

- Examinations and tests: Ich bin bei der Prüfung durchgefallen.

- Selection processes or applications: Der Aufnahmetest ist durchgefallen; der Antrag ist durchgefallen.

- Plans or proposals: Der Plan fällt durch; das Vorhaben ist durchgefallen.

Important caveat: durchfallen is not to be confused with Durchfall, the medical term for diarrhea. Synonyms for similar ideas include scheitern and misslingen, though throughfall emphasizes the failure to meet a threshold rather than a broader defeat.