gelungen

Gelungen is the past participle of the German verb gelingen, meaning to succeed or to be successful. It is used to indicate that an action has been accomplished or a result has been achieved. In standard German, the perfect tense with gelingen is formed with sein, as in Es ist mir gelungen, das Problem zu lösen.

Grammatical use and forms

As a participle, gelungen appears in verb phrases such as Es ist gelungen and Ich bin froh, dass es gelungen ist. When used as an adjective, the participle takes ordinary adjective endings according to gender, number, and case: eine gelungene Lösung (feminine), ein gelungener Abschluss (masculine), ein gelungenes Ergebnis (neuter). The bare form gelungen is not typically used attributively in modern German outside of the fixed participial form.

Noun form

The noun das Gelingen (capital G) refers to the act or state of succeeding—the achievement or success of a plan, project, or effort. Typical constructions include das Gelingen des Plans or das Gelingen einer Mission. The noun is common in formal or evaluative contexts.

Usage notes

Gelingen is intransitive and describes the success of an intended outcome. It is often contrasted with misslingen and can be used across a range of contexts from everyday tasks to larger undertakings. In English, equivalents include “to succeed,” “to be accomplished,” or “the success/achievement.”

Etymology

The term derives from the German verb gelingen, with the participle forming part of standard German inflection and usage since the early modern period.