verb
to succeed, to work out
B1
Means 'to succeed' and 'to work out'. Gelingen is intransitive and often used impersonally (Es gelingt jemandem etwas), taking the person in the dative. It uses auxiliary sein (Perfekt: ist gelungen). Strong irregular verb; Partizip II: gelungen; 3rd person present: gelingt.
Examples
Es ist ihm gelungen.
He succeeded.
Das Experiment gelang.
The experiment succeeded.
Es gelang mir, die richtige Lösung zu finden.
It worked out for me to find the right solution.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a small trophy appearing when something 'gelingt'.
Sounds a bit like 'get in' — imagine getting into success.
Notes
Gelingen is an impersonal/intransitive verb that normally appears as 'es gelingt jemandem, etwas zu tun' (only 3rd person singular with 'es' is used). Personal forms other than the impersonal 3rd-person singular are not used in normal modern usage; passive constructions are not applicable. Imperative forms are not applicable for this impersonal verb.