Meaning trap
break down
collapse negotiations
If talks, negotiations, or discussions break down, they fail completely and cannot continue, often due to disagreement.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
If talks, negotiations, or discussions break down, they fail completely and cannot continue, often due to disagreement.
'break down' also has the more basic meaning 'stop working'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
Talks between the two companies broke down after neither side was willing to compromise.
If discussions between management and staff representatives break down, it can lead to industrial action and a loss of trust.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: Negotiations were broken down last night.
Say: Negotiations broke down last night.
Here 'break down' is intransitive — talks break down; they don't 'get broken down'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Break down' is the standard verb for talks collapsing; the paraphrase is wordy.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
talks/negotiations break down
- talks
- negotiations
- the marriage
- completely
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- break down (stop working) — 'break down' also has the more basic meaning 'stop working'; this is the advanced sense.