fracasar
verbCEFR B1
What does “fracasar” mean in English?
to fail, be unsuccessful
to fail, be unsuccessful (of plans, projects, negotiations, or endeavours — not people or exams)
Example sentences
La negociación fracasó porque ninguna de las dos partes estaba dispuesta a ceder en los puntos más importantes.
The negotiation failed because neither side was willing to give ground on the most important points.
El primer prototipo fracasó, pero el equipo aprendió tanto de los errores que el segundo funcionó perfectamente.
The first prototype failed, but the team learned so much from the mistakes that the second one worked perfectly.
How to use it
Fracasar means 'to fail' but specifically describes plans, projects, negotiations, or endeavours that are unsuccessful — not people who fail at tasks or students who fail exams. It is intransitive and more formal than no funcionar or salir mal. When talking about a student failing an exam, use suspender (Peninsular) or reprobar (Latin America). When talking about an idea not working, use no funcionar or salir mal in conversational registers.
Common mistake
Don't use fracasar when talking about a person failing an exam — that is suspender or reprobar. Fracasar is reserved for projects, plans, relationships, or negotiations: 'el proyecto fracasó', not 'fracasé el examen'.