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German 2 Unit 6: Separable and Inseparable Verbs

German builds many everyday verbs by adding prefixes to a basic verb. Some prefixes split off and move to the end of the clause; others never move. Knowing which is which affects word order, the past participle and pronunciation.

Covers: Separable prefixes in the present tense, Separable verbs with modals and in questions, Perfekt of separable verbs (-ge- in the middle), Inseparable prefixes, Dual prefixes (über-, um-, unter-, durch-, wieder-), How prefixes change meaning

Study guide

A separable verb has a stressed prefix that detaches from the verb in a main clause and moves to the end. Anrufen (to call on the phone) becomes Ich rufe dich heute Abend an. Aufstehen becomes Wir stehen um sieben auf. The conjugated part stays in position two, and the prefix closes the clause, like a participle or infinitive. Common separable prefixes are ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, mit-, nach-, vor-, weg-, zu- and zurück-, and also words like fern- (fernsehen) and spazieren (spazieren gehen). In dictionaries and textbooks these verbs are often written with a dot or a bar to show the split: an|rufen, ein|kaufen.

The prefix only separates when the verb is conjugated in position one or two. Whenever the verb stands at the end of a clause, the prefix rejoins it. With a modal, the infinitive at the end is written as one word: Ich muss morgen früh aufstehen. In a subordinate clause, the conjugated verb goes last and is also one word: Ich weiß, dass der Zug um acht ankommt. In the imperative, the prefix still goes to the end: Ruf mich an! Mach bitte das Fenster zu! In an infinitive phrase with zu, the zu goes between the prefix and the stem: Es ist schwer, früh aufzustehen.

In the Perfekt, separable verbs place ge- between the prefix and the stem, and the participle is written as one word: einkaufen becomes eingekauft, anrufen becomes angerufen, mitbringen becomes mitgebracht, fernsehen becomes ferngesehen. The stem keeps its own weak, strong or mixed pattern, so you can rely on what you already know about the base verb: kommen → gekommen, so ankommen → angekommen; fahren → gefahren, so abfahren → abgefahren. The helping verb also follows the meaning of the whole verb: Ich habe eingekauft, but Der Zug ist angekommen, and Ich bin aufgestanden.

Inseparable verbs have an unstressed prefix that never detaches: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver- and zer-. Ich verstehe dich, Sie bekommt ein Paket, Er erklärt die Regel. They never take ge- in the participle: verstanden, bekommen, erklärt, empfohlen, zerstört. Prefixes often change meaning dramatically. From stehen (to stand) you get aufstehen (to get up), verstehen (to understand), bestehen (to pass an exam) and entstehen (to come into being). From kommen you get ankommen (arrive), bekommen (receive, not become) and mitkommen (come along). Learn each prefix verb as a separate vocabulary word.

A few prefixes, mainly durch-, über-, um-, unter- and wieder-, can be either separable or inseparable. The stress tells you which. If the prefix is stressed, the verb separates: Der Fährmann setzt uns ÜBER (übersetzen, to ferry across); Wir ziehen nächste Woche UM (umziehen, to move house). If the stem is stressed, the verb is inseparable and usually has a more abstract meaning: Sie übersetzt den Text (übersetzen, to translate); Ich wiederhole die Frage (wiederholen, to repeat). For tests, the most important ones are übersetzen (translate, inseparable), wiederholen (repeat, inseparable), umziehen (move, separable) and unterschreiben (sign, inseparable).

Key ideas

• Separable prefixes are stressed and move to the end of a main clause in the present and simple past.
• The prefix rejoins the verb whenever the verb is at the end: after modals and in subordinate clauses.
• Separable participles put ge- between the prefix and the stem: angerufen, eingekauft.
• With zu-infinitives, zu goes inside a separable verb: anzurufen.
• Inseparable prefixes be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver- and zer- never detach and block ge-.
• Prefixes often change the meaning completely, so each prefix verb is a new vocabulary word.
• Durch-, über-, um-, unter- and wieder- can go either way, and stress decides.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Leaving the prefix attached in a main clause (Ich anrufe dich).
• Splitting the verb after a modal (Ich muss auf früh stehen).
• Putting ge- in front of the whole verb (geanrufen) instead of in the middle (angerufen).
• Splitting inseparable verbs or giving them ge- (Ich stehe dich ver, geverstanden).
• Confusing bekommen (to receive) with English become (werden).

Before the test, make sure you can

• Identify whether a prefix is separable or inseparable.
• Place a separable prefix correctly in statements, questions and commands.
• Keep separable verbs together after modals and in subordinate clauses.
• Form the Perfekt of separable and inseparable verbs.
• Place zu correctly in an infinitive phrase with a separable verb.
• Explain how a prefix changes the meaning of a base verb such as stehen or kommen.
• Use the stress rule for dual prefixes such as über- and um-.

Words to know

anrufen

to call (phone)

aufstehen

to get up

einkaufen

to go shopping

ankommen

to arrive

abfahren

to depart

mitkommen

to come along

fernsehen

to watch TV

zurückkommen

to come back

verstehen

to understand

bekommen

to receive

besuchen

to visit

erklären

to explain

vergessen

to forget

empfehlen

to recommend

bestehen

to pass (an exam)

übersetzen

to translate

wiederholen

to repeat

umziehen

to move (house)

unterschreiben

to sign

Sample practice questions

30 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.