Ebaõnnestuma

Ebaõnnestuma is an Estonian verb meaning to fail or be unsuccessful. It is the negated counterpart of õnnestuma, which means to succeed or to come off. The prefix eba- expresses negation and forms a semantic pair with the root õnnestuma. The noun form is ebaõnnestumine, and the related adjective is ebaõnnestunud.

Usage and meaning: The verb describes the outcome of an attempt, plan, project, or action rather than a person’s general ability. It is typically used with a subject that denotes the thing that failed, such as a test, a plan, or an experiment. The past tense is formed as ebaõnnestus (singular) or ebaõnnestusid (plural). Present and future forms follow standard Estonian verb conjugation, for example katse ebaõnnestub (the test fails) or katse ebaõnnestus (the test failed).

Relation to related terms: Ebaõnnestuma is paired with õnnestuma (to succeed) and with ebaõnnestumine (failure). The adjective form ebaõnnestunud describes something that has failed, while edukas means successful in contrast.

Examples: Katse ebaõnnestus. (The experiment failed.) Plaan ebaõnnestub, kui rahastust ei leita. (The plan fails if funding isn’t found.)

Notes: The term is commonly used in formal, technical, or report-like contexts to characterize outcomes of efforts, rather than to attribute personal incompetence.