misslyckas med att
Fail to
Use misslyckas med att followed by a verb in its infinitive form to say that someone failed to do something. Example: Han misslyckades med att starta bilen. (He failed to start the car.)
How It Works
The structure misslyckas med att is used to describe an unsuccessful attempt at performing an action.
Structure:
Subject + misslyckas (conjugated) + med att + Verb (infinitive)
Components:
- misslyckas: This is a deponent verb, meaning it ends in '-s' but has an active meaning. It must be conjugated according to the tense:
- Present:
misslyckas - Past (Preterite):
misslyckades - Perfect:
har misslyckats
- Present:
- med: Med links the failure to the attempted action in this construction. It can also take a noun phrase, and some constructions omit med.
- att: This is the infinitive marker, equivalent to 'to' in English. It introduces the verb describing the action that was not successfully completed.
This pattern's opposite is lyckas + infinitive (to succeed in/manage to do). Compare misslyckas med att lösa with lyckas lösa. This is a useful pair, not an exclusive rule: lyckas also allows att or med att, and misslyckas can occur without med.
While misslyckas med att is used for actions (verbs), misslyckas med can also be followed by a noun. For example: Hon misslyckades med provet. (She failed the test.)
Examples (5)
- Företaget misslyckades med att nå sina försäljningsmål.
The company failed to reach its sales goals.
Word by Word: The company failed with to reach its sales goals.
- Jag misslyckas alltid med att baka en perfekt kaka.
I always fail to bake a perfect cake.
Word by Word: I fail always with to bake a perfect cake.
- De har misslyckats med att lösa problemet hittills.
They have failed to solve the problem so far.
Word by Word: They have failed with to solve the problem so far.
- Hon misslyckades med att övertyga juryn.
She failed to convince the jury.
Word by Word: She failed with to convince the jury.
- Om vi misslyckas med att agera nu blir konsekvenserna allvarliga.
If we fail to act now, the consequences will be serious.
Word by Word: If we fail with to act now become the consequences serious.
Common Mistakes
Using a conjugated verb instead of an infinitive after 'att'
Vi misslyckades med att hittade nycklarna.Vi misslyckades med att hitta nycklarna.The infinitive marker att must always be followed by the verb in its base (infinitive) form, which is 'hitta' in this case, not the past tense 'hittade'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'misslyckas med att', a learner needs to be familiar with deponent verbs (verbs ending in -s), how the preposition 'med' functions in verbal phrases, and how to use the infinitive marker 'att' to connect to a subsequent action.
- Deponent -s verbs
The verb 'misslyckas' is a deponent verb, meaning it has an -s ending but functions with an active meaning.
Level 3 - medWith
The preposition 'med' is a core component of this construction, linking the failure to the specific action or object.
Level 1 - attTo (Infinitive Marker)
The infinitive marker 'att' is required to introduce the verb phrase following the preposition.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- lyckas + InfinitiveSucceed in -ing
Lyckas expresses success where misslyckas expresses failure. Common choices include lyckas lösa and misslyckas med att lösa, but the contrast does not make med att mandatory after every misslyckas or impossible after lyckas.
Level 4 - försöka + InfinitiveTry to
Means 'to try to'. It's logically connected, as trying often precedes either succeeding (
Level 4lyckas) or failing (misslyckas med att).
Words in This Pattern
Practice misslyckas med att in Bubblegum
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