fallire

Fallire is an Italian verb meaning to fail or not succeed in achieving a goal, performing a task, or meeting a requirement. It can describe a broad range of failures, from missing a target or an exam to an unsuccessful plan or effort. In everyday use it is both transitive and intransitive: one can fallire a test (to fail an exam) or, intransitively, say that a project or enterprise has fallen flat or failed (l’attività è fallita).

In finance and law, fallire specifically refers to going bankrupt. The noun fallimento denotes bankruptcy or the bankruptcy proceeding (procedura fallimentare). A company that cannot meet its obligations is declared fallita and may enter fallimento. The related adjective fallito describes something that has failed, or a person or venture that did not succeed.

Etymology and grammar: fallire derives from Latin fallere, meaning to deceive or disappoint, later narrowing to mean to fail or miss. The verb is a regular -ire verb with the characteristic -isc- pattern in many present-tense forms: io fallisco, tu fallisci, lui/lei fallisce, noi falliamo, voi fallite, loro falliscono. The past participle is fallito, used in compound tenses and as an adjective (un piano fallito, una prova fallita).

Usage notes: fallire is common in both everyday speech and formal contexts. It is often used with di, a, or in phrases like fallire nel tentativo (to fail in the attempt) or fallire un esame (to fail an exam). It contrasts with synonyms like mancare or non riuscire, which can carry different nuances.