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ratat
a failure, a loser (someone who has failed in life) /raˈtat/
noun#1270 most common
Also: failed, botched (as an adjective), washed up
Example sentences
Am ratat trenul.
I missed the train.
El este un ratat.
He's a loser.
Interviul meu de angajare a fost ratat.
My job interview was a bust.
A ratat ocazia de a-și cere scuze față de prietenul său.
He missed the chance to apologize to his friend.
Încercarea ei disperată de a salva relația a fost complet ratată.
Her desperate attempt to save the relationship was completely botched.
Se considera un ratat, măcinat de regretul ocaziilor ratate de-a lungul vieții.
He considered himself a failure, gnawed by regret over the missed opportunities of his life.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ratatul | ratații |
| Genitive | ratatului | rataților |
| Accusative | ratatul | ratații |
| Vocative | ratatule | rataților |
Word family
a ratato miss (a train, a chance); to fail at
ratarethe act of missing or failing
ratat, ratatăfailed, botched
ratatul, ratatathe loser, the failure (person)
Etymology
Ratat is the past participle of a rata, a verb Romanian borrowed from French rater, meaning to miss or to fail. The French verb itself has a disputed origin, often linked to the language of firearms failing to fire properly. Romanian took the word in during the nineteenth century, a period of heavy French cultural borrowing, and then turned the participle into both an ordinary adjective and a standalone noun for a person seen as a failure.
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