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This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of free German for Beginners
course. To learn more about German verbs, also see our German Verbs section and the Verb-Lexikon.
Separable Prefixes 1
Below we have listed the most common separable prefixes in German. For more of the separable
prefixes, including less common ones (fehl-, statt-, etc.), see Separable Prefixes 2.
Verb Prefixes: Inseparable > Separable 1 > Separable 2 > Dual >
Rechtschreibreform > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes
Separable Prefixes 1
Trennbare Präfixe 1
All of the separable-prefix verbs form their past participle with ge-. Examples: Sie hat gestern
angerufen, She called/telephoned yesterday. Er war schon zurückgegangen, He had already gone
back. - For more about German verb tenses, see our German Verbs section.
This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of free German for Beginners
course. To learn more about German verbs, also see our German Verbs section and the Verb-Lexikon.
Verb Prefixes
There are three kinds of verb prefixes in German: (1) separable (trennbar), (2) inseparable
(untrennbar), and (3) dual prefixes (usually a preposition) that can be both. Separable prefixes are
stressed (betont) in their pronunciation; inseparable prefixes are unstressed (unbetont). In this verb
prefix chart, we have divided the prefixes into their three categories.
By adding various prefixes to a base verb, German can produce new meanings: kommen >
abkommen (digress), ankommen (arrive), bekommen (get), entkommen (escape). (English does
the same thing, using Greek and Latin prefixes: form > deform, inform, perform, etc.) Knowing the
basic meaning of a verb prefix can be helpful in learning German vocabulary, but not all prefixes have
a specific meaning, nor does each prefix always have the same meaning. For instance, knowing the
meaning of the prefix ver- may or may not help you understand the meaning of verbs like
verschlafen (to oversleep) or versprechen (to promise). The prefix meanings can be interesting and
helpful, but they are no substitute for learning vocabulary.
If you are not already familiar with how separable and inseparable verbs are used in a sentence, see
Lesson 19 and our Sample Sentences page for examples.
Also see additional comments at the end of each section of the prefix chart.
Inseparable Prefixes
Untrennbare Präfixe
German verbs with inseparable prefixes do not add the normal past participle prefix ge- in the perfect
tenses. Examples: bekommen (to get) hat/hatte bekommen; erwarten (to expect, await) hat/hatte
erwartet; verstehen (to understand) hat/hatte verstanden. For more about German verb tenses,
see our German Verbs section
German for Beginners
Lesson 19
German Verbs:
Separable and Inseparable Prefixes
Commonly used separable prefixes include: ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, vor- and zusammen-. Many
common verbs use separable prefixes: abdrehen (to turn/switch off), anerkennen (to recognize
[officially]), aufleuchten (to light up), ausgehen (to go out), sich einarbeiten (to get used to the
work), vorlesen (to read aloud), zusammenfassen (to summarize).
There are three situations in which the "separable" prefix doesn't separate: (1) in the infinitive form
(i.e., with modals and in the future tense), (2) in dependent clauses, and (3) in the past participle
(with ge-). An example of a dependent clause situation would be: "Ich weiß nicht, wann er
ankommt." (I don't know when he's arriving.) See below for more about past participles with
separable prefixes.
All of the separable-prefix verbs form the past participle with ge-, with the prefix located in front of
and attached to the past participle. Examples: Sie hat gestern angerufen, She called/telephoned
yesterday. Er war schon zurückgefahren, He had already gone back.
For more about the separable-prefix verbs, see our Separable Verb Prefixes page. For more about
German verb tenses in general, see our German Verbs section. Here are some sample sentences in
various tenses with the verb anfangen, with the separable prefix in red:
Sample Sentences
with the separable-prefix verb
anfangen, to begin, start
DEUTSCH ENGLISH
PresentTense
Wann fangen Sie an? When do you begin?
Ich fange heute an. I start today.
Pres.PerfectTense
Wann haben sie angefangen? When did they begin?
PastPerfectTense
Wann hatten Sie angefangen? When had you begun?
PastTense
Wann fingen wir an? When did we begin?
FutureTense
Wir werden wieder anfangen. We will begin again.
WithModals
Können wir heute anfangen? Can we begin today?
Inseparable prefixes include be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ver- and zer-. Many common German verbs
use such prefixes: beantworten (to answer), empfinden (to sense, feel), entlaufen (to get/run
away), erröten (to blush), verdrängen (to oust, replace), zerstreuen (to disperse, scatter). The
inseparable verb prefixes remain attached to the stem verb in all situations: "Ich verspreche nichts."
- "Ich kann nichts versprechen." In spoken German, inseparable verb prefixes are unstressed
(unbetont). Their past participles do not use ge- ("Ich habe nichts versprochen."). For more about
the inseparable-prefix verbs, see our Inseparable Verb Prefixes page.
For a more detailed look at both separable and inseparable-prefix verbs in German (as well as the
"variable" or "dual" prefixes), see our Verb Prefixes Guide with prefix charts and sample sentences.
Lesson 7 - Separable Verbs
A characteristic feature of German is its ability to create verbs with new meanings through the addition of prefixes to
For example:
German has two categories of prefixes: inseparable prefixes and separable prefixes. However, few prefixes exist that
Also, a verb could have more than one prefix, each giving a new verb with a different meaning than the others. Take
the verb 'kommen' for example:
Verb Meaning
kommen to come
ankommen to arrive
weiterkommen to get on
hereinkommen to come in
Inseparable Prefixes
These prefixes are always attached to the front end of a verb and are never removed from it no matter the tense or
form of the verb. When pronouncing a verb with an inseparable prefix, the stress is always on the stem of the verb.
The table below shows these prefixes, along with some example:
Inseparable Prefixes
bekommen to get/receive
be-
besuchen to visit/attend
empfehlen to recommend
emp-
empfinden to feel
entlassen to discharge/fire
ent-
entscheiden to decide/determine
erfinden to invent/make-up
er-
erwarten to expect/anticipate
gehorchen to obey
ge-
gestatten to permit/allow
missachtest to disobey/disregard
miss-
misstrauen to mistrust/suspect
vergessen to forget
ver-
verstehen to understand
zerstören to destroy
zer-
zerkratzen to scratch
The inseparable prefix remains attached to the verb when its conjugated. Notice the position of the inseparable prefix
Separable Prefixes
Separable prefixes are adverbs and prepositions that are detached from the verb when it is conjugated. It would be
completely impractical to list all of those prefixes; as there are many. When pronouncing a verb with a separable
The table below shows the most common ones along with some examples:
Separable Prefixes
ankommen to arrive
an-
aufstehen to wake up
auf-
aufhören to stop/cease
ausgehen to go out
aus-
aussprechen to pronounce
beibringen to teach
bei-
beitragen to add/contribute
einkaufen to go shopping
ein-
einladen to invite
fortfahren to continue/proceed
fort-
fortgehen to go away
nachahmen to imitate/copy
nach-
nacharbeiten to rework/revise
vorstellen to present/introduce
vor-
vorbereiten to prepare/set up
weg-
zuhören to listen
zu-
zunehmen to increase/grow
As already mentioned, when a verb with a separable prefix is conjugated in the present tense, the separable prefix is
detached from it. The prefix is moved to the end of its clause. Notice the position of the inseparable prefix in the
following examples:
Ich gehe mit meinen Freunden jeden Tag aus - I go out with my friends everyday
Sie kauft im Supermarkt ein - She is shopping in the supermarket
A few prefixes exist that can be either separable or inseparable, depending on the way the verb is pronounced. When
the stress is on the prefix itself, the prefix is separable. But when the stress is on the stem of the verb, it's a strong
Of course, the verb conjugation depends on whether the prefix is separable or inseparable, as shown in the next
example:
That brings us to the end of this lesson. Make sure to solve the exercises associated with this lesson before
German verbs
Separable & inseparable prefix verbs
About verb prefixes | Differences in usage | Separable prefixes | Inseparable prefixes | Dual prefixes
Other verb topics: The infinitive | The past participle | The present participle | Weak verbs | Strong verbs | Mixed
verbs
List of strong & irregular verbs & their forms | More on German verbs: GERMAN GRAMMAR INDEX
A characteristic feature of German is its ability to create verbs with new meanings through the
addition of prefixes. Many verbs in German are created from the addition of prefixes to nouns,
adjectives, or other verbs. For instance, from the noun Urlaub, vacation, comes the verb
beurlauben, to grant a leave. And from the adjective einfach, simple, comes the verb
vereinfachen, to simplify.
When added to verbs, prefixes create new verbs with their own meanings. Sometimes the new
word is similar in meaning with root verb: fragen, to ask, becomes befragen, to question, or
nachfragen, to inquire, for example. Sometimes the newly created verb seems only somewhat
related to the root verb or is even opposite in meaning: kaufen, to buy becomes verkaufen, to sell.
Quite frequently, however, prefixes change the meaning of a verb so substantially, they have no
apparent relationship to the meaning of the root verb: hören to hear becomes aufhören, to stop,
cease; fahren, to drive becomes erfahren to experience.
While the different meanings that arise through the addition of prefixes may at first seem illogical
to English speakers, it is important to note that English has similar types of verb phrases. The verb
to stand is quite different in meaning from to stand out, to stand by, to stand back, or to stand in.
And the verb to call is very different from to call up, to call out, to call for, or to call off. The
major difference between the two languages is that in English an additional word(s) are used to
complete the meaning of the verb, while in German these words are prefixes attached to the verb's
infinitive form.
About verb prefixes | Differences in usage | Separable prefixes | Inseparable prefixes | Dual prefixes
The infinitive | The past participle | The present participle | Weak verbs | Strong verbs | Mixed verbs
List of strong & irregular verbs | For more verb topics, see the GERMAN GRAMMAR INDEX
As the name implies, inseparable prefix verbs have affixes at the start of the word that remain
attached to the root in all conjugations and tenses. By contrast, the prefixes of separable prefix
verbs are detached from the verb root when the verb is conjugated as a finite verb in the sentence
(i.e. the one that agrees with the subject of the sentence) in the present and simple past tenses:
Inseparable prefix verbs Separable prefix verbs
PRESENT Morgen besuche ich meine Eltern. Morgen kaufe ich ein.
TENSE: Sie erfährt das Stadtleben. Der Film fängt um 19.15 Uhr an.
Er unterschreibt den Brief. Wir nehmen immer daran teil.
SIMPLE PAST Gestern besuchte ich meine Eltern. Gestern kaufte ich ein.
TENSE: Sie erfuhr das Stadtleben. Der Film fing um 19.15 Uhr an.
Er unterschrieb den Brief. Wir nahmen immer daran teil.
Another important difference occurs in the past participle form. In the past participles of separable
prefix verbs, the -ge- prefix appears between the prefix and the verb root. However, the past
participles of inseparable prefix verbs completely omit the ge- prefix in their past participles and
retain the inseparable prefixes in place of the ge-.
PERFECT Gestern habe ich sie besucht. Gestern habe ich eingekauft.
TENSE: Sie hat das Stadtleben erfahren. Der Film hat schon angefangen.
Er hat den Brief unterschrieben. Wir haben immer daran teilgenommen.
In infinitive constructions that use zu, the zu likewise appears between the prefix and verb root of
separable prefix verbs, and these are written together as a single word. Inseparable prefix verbs, on
the other hand, behave in these infinitive constructions just like verbs that have no prefixes..
INFINITIVE Ich habe vor, meine Eltern zubesuchen. Anstatt heute einzukaufen, bleibe ich zu Hause.
CLAUSE: Um den Brief zu unterschreiben, brauche ich Wir haben keine Lust, an der Sache
einen Stift. teilzunehmen.
Like inseparable prefixes, separable prefixes remain attached to the verb root in the verb's
infinitive form, and when the finite verb appears at the end of a dependent clause.
Dependent Ich sage, dass ich Peter besuche. Er fragte, ob ich morgen einkaufe.
clauses Als er den Brief unterschrieb, klingelte das Wenn du daran teilnimmst, lernst du viel.
Telefon.
About verb prefixes | Differences in usage | Separable prefixes | Inseparable prefixes | Dual prefixes
The infinitive | The past participle | The present participle | Weak verbs | Strong verbs | Mixed verbs
List of strong & irregular verbs | For more verb topics, see the GERMAN GRAMMAR INDEX
Inseparable prefixes
Inseparable prefix verbs are verbs whose initial syllable is never detached from the verb root in any
tense or conjugated form. These are always unstressed syllables and usually, though not always,
are morphemes (i.e. units of meaning) that cannot stand as separate words. Prefixes that are always
inseparable are: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, & zer-. The most common of these is ver-.
Though the meanings of these prefixes are not fixed, they encompass a range of connotations that
can be described in general categories. These delineations are not exhaustive and do not include
every possible meaning of a prefix, but can be helpful in understanding the gist of a verb.
be- 1) Makes intransitive verbs or verbs with zaubern - to do magic | bezaubern - to enchant
prepositional objects transitive, or shifts Ich beantworte die Frage. (Ich antworte auf die Frage.)
the action to a different object. Er beschenkt Sie. ( Er schenkt Ihnen etwas.)
2) Added to nouns to create verbs with die Nachricht message | benachrichtigento notify
the idea of providing something. (Often - die Waffe weapon | bewaffnento arm
ig- is added.)
ent- 1) Added to verbs to convey the idea of fliehen to flee | entfliehento escape, flee (from)
escaping or moving away. kommen to come | entkommento escape, come away (from)
Note: Approximately 15% of all inseparable prefix verbs begin with ent-.
emp- A variation of ent- that is used before fehlen to be lacking | empfehlento recommend
some verb roots beginning with f. finden to find | empfindento perceive, sense
er- 1) Creates verbs from nouns or other finden to find | erfindento invent
verbs. Conveys the conclusion or end lernen to learn | erlernento learn, acquire
achievement of an action. trinken to drink | ertrinkento drown
Note: Approximately 10% of all inseparable prefix verbs begin with er-.
ge- ge- is rare as a verb prefix. It carries no fallen to fall | gefallento be pleasing
distinct meaning. In many instances, the --- | geschehen to occur
root verb is linguistically extinct. --- | gelingen to succeed
miss- Like the English prefix mis-, the German -- | misslingento fail
miss- indicates failure. It creates a verb fallen to fall | missfallento displease
that stands as a negative opposite to its billigen to approve | missbilligento disapprove
positive or neutral root. handeln to act | misshandelnto maltreat, abuse
ver- 1) Added to verbs to express idea of brennen to burn | verbrennenburn (to ashes, to death), scorch
completion, waning, or going away. hungern to be hungry | verhungernto starve
geben to give | vergebento give away
jagen to hunt | verjagento chase away
2) Added to verbs to express the idea of lernen to learn | verlernento unlearn, forget
doing something to excess or wrongly, or führen to lead | verführento seduce
to convey the opposite meaning from its achten to esteem | verachtento despise
root. bergen to salvage | verbergento conceal, hide
3) Creates verbs from adjectives or nouns Deutsch | verdeutschento translate into German
that convey the idea of becoming der Stein stone | versteinernto turn to stone
something or giving something a quality. die Ursache cause | verursachento cause
einfach simple | vereinfachento simplify
deutlich clear | verdeutlichento elucidate
4) Creates verbs from nouns to convey the das Silber silver | versilbernto silver plate
idea of providing something. der Körper body | verkörpernto embody
Note: Approximately 45% of all inseparable prefix verbs begin with ver-.
zer- Creates verbs from nouns, adjectives, or das Glied member, limb | zergliedernto dismember
other verbs to indicate destruction, klein small | zerkleinernto reduce to small bits
usually "into pieces". stören to bother | zerstörento destroy
teilen to divide | zerteilento disperse
There are a handful of prefixes which may be separable or inseparable. These include: durch-,
über-, um-, and unter-. The distinctions in usage are the same as the distinctions between
inseparable and separable prefixes discussed below.
About verb prefixes | Differences in usage | Separable prefixes | Inseparable prefixes | Dual prefixes
The infinitive | The past participle | The present participle | Weak verbs | Strong verbs | Mixed verbs
List of strong & irregular verbs | For more verb topics, see the GERMAN GRAMMAR INDEX
Separable prefixes
Separable prefix verbs are verbs whose initial syllable is detached from the verb root in finite or
inflected forms. These are always stressed syllables and usually, though not always, are
morphemes (i.e. units of meaning) that can stand as separate words. These are most frequently
prepositions (e.g, ab, an, auf, aus, bei, mit, nach, statt, vor, zu) or adverbs (e.g., fort, los, nieder,
vorbei, weg, zurück, zusammen). However, nouns and adjectives can also serve as separable
prefixes (e.g., teilnehmen, festhalten).
Because the separable prefixes are typically words with distinct meanings, their meanings as
prefixes are often more stable and predictable than the connotations of the inseparable prefixes.
Nonetheless, the possible meanings given below are not exhaustive; they are meant as a general
reference. Here are some of the more common separable prefixes and their frequent meanings.
ab- Conveys "away", "down", "off", with the fliegen to fly | abfliegen to depart (of airplane)
idea of finishing or completing an action nehmen to take | abnehmen to take down/off
an- Conveys "at", "on", or the idea of starting lächeln to smile | anlächelnto smile at
an action or doing something partially. schauen to look | anschauento look at
probieren to try | anprobierento try on
tasten to touch | antastento touch on
trinken to drink | antrinkento start drinking
auf- Conveys "up" or the idea of a sudden klären- to clarify | aufklärento clear up
start essen to eat | aufessento eat up
munter lively | aufmunternto liven up
brechen to break | aufbrechento break open, to set out (on a trip)
aus- Conveys "out" with the idea of gleichen to equal | ausgleichento even out
completing an action rufen to call | ausrufento cry out
radieren to erase | ausradierento erase (completely)
ein- Derived from the preposition "in". atmen to breathe | einatmento inhale
Conveys "in" or the idea of getting used leiten to lead | einleitento introduce
to something spielen to play | einspielento warm up
los- Conveys "away" or the idea of beginning fahren to drive | losfahrento set out (on a trip)
something reißen to rip | losreißento tear away
werden to become | loswerdento get rid of
mit- Conveys "along", "away", or the idea of nehmen to take | mitnehmento take along
accompanying or cooperating singen to sing | mitsingen to join in singing
machen to do | mitmachento participate
vor- Conveys the idea of demonstrating, going schreiben to write | vorschreibento stipulate
forward, or preceding singen to sing | vorsingento sing to
wärmen to warm | vorwärmento preheat
weg- Conveys "away" schicken to send | wegschickento send away
führen to lead | wegführen to lead away
zurück- Conveys "back", the idea of returning denken to think | zurückdenkento think back
reisen to travel | zurückreisento travel back
zusammen- Conveys "up" or "together", the idea of schrumpfen to shrink | zusammenschrumpfento shrivel up
reducing to a focal point kleben to adhere | zusammenklebento stick together
brechen to break | zusammenbrechento collapse, cave in
About verb prefixes | Differences in usage | Separable prefixes | Inseparable prefixes | Dual prefixes
The infinitive | The past participle | The present participle | Weak verbs | Strong verbs | Mixed verbs
List of strong & irregular verbs | For more verb topics, see the GERMAN GRAMMAR INDEX
Some prefixes can be used as separable prefixes or inseparable prefixes. The most common of
these are durch-, über-, um-, unter-, and wider-. There is a usually a clear distinction in meaning
between those used separably and those use inseparably. The separable prefixes are usually more
literal in meaning than the inseparable ones. It is also quite easy to distinguish between the two
because the separable prefixes are always stressed and the inseparable prefixes are always
unstressed. (Underlining indicates word stress.)
durch- Most compounds with the durch- prefix are either separable or exist in both forms. Means 'through',
'without interruption', or indicates the conquering of obstacles or denotes completion
über- About 75% of verbs with the über- prefix are inseparable. Usually combined with transitive verbs,
indicates 'over', 'up', or movement over a boundary.
unter- unter- is equally frequent as a separable and an inseparable prefix. It is almost always transitive or
reflexive. Means 'under', 'among' and can imply 'at the bottom of a text'. In a few words, the meaning is
indistinct.
wider- With a few exceptions, most verbs with the prefix wider- are separable. Means 'against', 'toward', or
'back'.
Sometimes two verbs exist that as infinitives appear to be identical, except that one has a separable
prefix and the other an inseparable prefix. However, differences lie in both meaning and also
pronunciation; as with other verbs with prefixes, separable prefixes are stressed, inseparable
unstressed.
German English
anfagen to start
anhaben to have on
aufmachen to open
beibringen to teach
fernsehen to watch TV
losgehen to start
staubsaugen to vacum
vorschlagen to suggest
In this chapter we have encountered verbs such as "umsteigen" ("to change (trains etc.)"),
"aussteigen" ("to get out (of a train etc.)"), "einsteigen" ("to get on (trains etc.)") and "ankommen"
("to arrive") which are known as separable verbs.
This is because they can be separated into two parts - a prefix and a main verb. Most prefixes are
prepositions (as in all the cases listed above), but they are occasionally adverbs, nouns, or
adjectives.
ab + fahren = abfahren
(from) (to travel) (to depart)
an + kommen = ankommen
(at) (to come) (to arrive)
um + steigen = umsteigen
(to climb) (to change)
Verb Clause
But if the separable verb is the second verb in a sentence, it does not split up and behaves just like
any other verb. Note too that when a separable verb is the second verb in the sentence, it will
always remain in the infinitive form.
The separable verb will be the second verb in a sentence when it follows what is known as a modal
verb. These verbs will be explained in detail in Chapter 8, but for now you should note that we
have already met three of them: "müssen" ("to have to"), "wollen" ("to want") and "mögen" ("to
like") - although we have only encountered the latter in the form "ich möchte" ("I would like").
zurück- zusammen-
("back") ("together")
The following prefixes are separable when they precede certain verbs and inseparable when they
precede others:
Don't worry if you can't remember all of these - this will take some time. For the moment you
should try to remember which verbs that we encounter during this course are separable and how
they should be used. We will always indicate which verbs are separable in our vocabulary lists.
Test yourself!
You can test yourself on separable verbs by clicking on the two bars below:
Chapter 6.7: Places and prepositions
VERB PREFIXES
Verbs can have prefixes. There are two types of verb prefixes: separable and inseparable. Often,
prefixes change the meaning of the verb.
A. INSEPARABLE PREFIXES
Inseparable prefixes are not separated from the verb. The important ones are: be-, emp-, ent-, er-,
ge-, ver-, zer-. Generally, they do not really have a meaning by themselves, but they change the
meaning of the verb they are attached to. They are not stressed in pronunciation.
Beispiele
B. SEPARABLE PREFIXES
In a main clause, separable prefixes are separated from the verb and move to the very end.
Potentially, there are many seperable prefixes. The most important ones are: ab-, an-, auf-, aus-,
ein-, fort-, heim-, her-, hin-, mit-, nach-, nieder-, vor-, weg-, zu-, zurück-, zusammen-. As can be
seen, many are prepositions or adverbs, and have a meaning by themselves. They are stressed in
pronunciation.
Beispiele
HINT: Because there is only a small and limited number of inseperable prefixes, knowing these
and assuming that everythign else is separable should make it easy working with them. (However,
see also the note below).
WORD ORDER
Beispiele (Präsens)
NOTE: Some prefixes are both separable and inseparable (occasionally even with the same verb).
In this case, they have different meanings.
Beispiel: übersetzen
separable = to ferry across (a river): Er setzte über und ging weiter. = He ferried across (the river)
and walked on.
inseparable = to translate: Er übersetzte den Satz. = He translated the sentence.
ÜBUNGEN
If you cannot enter special characters directly:
* Cut & Paste the appropriate character from here: ß - Ä - ä - Ö - ö - Ü - ü
* Or, for the "ß" use the capital letter "B" (or an "sz"), for umlauts use these transcriptions: ä = ae; Ä =
AE; ü = ue etc.
Retain a ¶copy of
A. Machen Sie Sätze. (Präsens)
http://class.georg
Separable Verbs I: Draw the line between prefixes and core verbs
Posted by Sandra Rösner3 Comments
DEC 12010
With this post I would like to start a series on German separable verbs. In this introductory post I
explain how you can distinguish separable verbs from inseparable verbs.
The main difference between separable and inseparable verbs is that separable verbs consist of
two words: a core verb and a semi-prefix, whereas inseparable verbs consist of a core verb and
a real prefix. Let’s have a closer look at the some examples in order to explore what I mean by
core verb, semi-prefix and real prefix.
Separable verbs
The verbs nehmen (to take), laufen (to walk), and geben (to give) are so called core verbs
because they form the basis of separable verbs. In order to modify their meanings you can add
the following semi-prefixes to them:
an-
auf-
ab-
anlaufen angeben
auflaufen aufgeben
(to assume; to accept)
(to go aground) (to give up)
aufnehmen
ablaufen abgeben
(to gather; to host)
(to expire) (to hand in, to emit)
abnehmen
(to take off, to loose weight)
I should mention that the meaning of each separable verb does highly depend on the context in
which it is used, thus, I only give the translations, which I consider most common.
I call the prefixes of separable verbs semi-prefixes because these prefixes are indeed
independent words in German. That is, they can and do exist as separate words. Consequently,
you can isolate them from the core verb when using them in a sentence. These semi-prefixes
are always prepositions, adverbs or adjectives. – I will discuss all kinds of semi-prefixes in
detail in my following posts.
Inseparable verbs
In comparison to separable verbs, inseparable verbs have real prefixes. That is, these prefixes
canNOT and do NOT exist as independent words in German – because they have no meaning.
Consequently, you cannot separate them from the core verb when using them in a sentence.
Compare these examples:
ver-
be-
verlaufen vergeben
(to behave)
Whenever you come across a verb that contains one of the following prefixes, you may be sure
that it is an INSEPARABLE verb:
be- : bekommen (to get), belügen (to lie to), beraten (to advise)
ent- : entgehen (to evade), entstehen (to emerge), entsprechen (to correspond)
er- : erklären (to explain), erhalten (to obtain), erkennen (to realize; to recognize)
ge- : gebrauchen (to apply), gehören (to belong), gefallen (tp please, to like)
ver- : verkaufen (to sell), versprechen (to promise; to make a slip of the tongue), versuchen (to
try)
zer- : zerbrechen (to shatter), zerstören (to destroy), zerschlagen (to dash to pieces)
11/05/2011|German Grammar, Learn German Videos|1 Comment|« The German verb sehen – to
see|German Vocabulary: Oceania Countries in German »
A separable verb in German is a verb with a German prefix. A prefix is an additional word such as
an (on, to, by) or ein (on) which is added to the beginning of a verb to change it’s meaning.
There are many words that can be added to a verb to change its meaning and result in a German
separable or inseparable
verb.
ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, bei-, durch-, ein-, los-, mit-, nach-, her-, hin-, um-, vor-, weg-, zu-, zurück-