Verpassen

Verpassen is a German verb meaning to miss, fail to catch, or miss out on something. It is used for concrete events, such as transportation, as well as for abstract notions like opportunities, chances, or deadlines. The sense ranges from simply not catching something in time to lamenting a lost chance.

Usage and patterns: Verpassen is usually transitive, taking a direct object such as den Zug, den Bus, den Termin, or eine Gelegenheit. Examples: Ich habe den Bus verpasst. Wir haben den Zug verpasst. Er hat eine Chance verpasst. The noun phrase eine verpasste Gelegenheit refers to a missed opportunity and is common in both spoken and written German.

Conjugation and forms: In the present tense, the form is ich verpasse, du verpasst, er verpasst, wir verpassen, ihr verpasst, sie verpassen. The past participle is verpasst, used with haben to form the perfect: Ich habe den Bus verpasst. Du hast den Termin verpasst. The verb is formed with the prefix ver- added to the base pas- of passen, which is typical for many verbs with a changed or intensified meaning.

Related terms and nuances: Verpassen overlaps with but is broader than entgehen (to escape or miss out on something that passes by) and versäumen (to miss a commitment or appointment, often with a sense of negligence). In everyday use, verpasst is the standard choice for everyday misses, while versäumen tends to appear in more formal or written contexts.