German word

kaputtgehen

Pronunciation

IPA/kaˈpʊtˌgeːən/

Meaning

  • verbbreak down

Example

Mein Handy geht kaputt.

My phone is breaking down.

Illustration for kaputtgehen (break down)

More examples

Das Auto geht kaputt, wenn der Motor überhitzt.

The car breaks down when the engine overheats.

Core concept

An object's useful function collapses, leaving the object effectively out of service.

Common phrases

  • Handy geht kaputt

    phone breaks down

  • Auto geht kaputt

    Car breaks down

Similar words

kaputtmachen: Leave an object unusable by damaging or breaking it.
zerbrechen: Split or crack, making the object unusable.
ausfallen: Suddenly stop functioning, so a device or system cannot be used.
versagen: Stop performing the function expected of it.

Definition in German

ein intransitives Verb, das ausdrückt, dass ein Gegenstand durch Schaden seine Funktion verliert

Word origin

The compound uses borrowed 'kaputt', traced through French 'capot', with 'gehen' ('go') to describe an object's transition into a damaged condition.

Usage tips

  • 'Kaputtgehen' describes the failure event, while 'kaputt sein' describes the resulting state: 'Das Handy geht kaputt' versus 'Das Handy ist kaputt'.

Other meanings

  • get damagedverb
  • be ruinedverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word