Separable verbs in present tense

A prefix + The infinitive of a verb  = Separable verbs

Separable (trennbar) 

1. The prefix is usuallhy separated from the finite form of the verb and goes to the end of the sentence.: anrufen → Herr Nolte ruft seine Frau an. (Mr Nolte rings. his wife.)

abfahren: Der Zug fährt um 10 Uhr ab. (The train departs at 10 o'clock.)

abholen: Ich hole dich um 18 Uhr ab. (I will pick you up at 6 o'clock.)

abwaschen: Ich wasche das Geschirr ab. (I do the washing up.)

anfangen: Wir fangen um 9 Uhr an. (We start at 9 o'clock.)

2. Separable verbs in two clauses. 

In sentences with multiple clauses, when a verb has a separable prefix, that prefix goes to the end of the relevant clause, not necessarily at the end of the entire sentence. The main verb remains in its position according to the sentence structure rules. This shows how German handles sentence complexity and verb placement systematically.      

• Clauses: A clause is a part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb. In German, clauses can be independent (main clauses) or dependent (subordinate clauses).
• Separable Prefixes: Some German verbs are separable, meaning they consist of a base verb and a prefix that can be detached when forming certain tenses or sentence structures. For example, in the verb "aufstehen" (to get up), "auf" is the prefix.
• Word Order: In German, the structure of sentences can change depending on the context. When you have multiple clauses, particularly when using conjunctions like "und" (and) or "aber" (but), the verb in the second clause generally goes to the second position in that clause.

"Ich stehe auf und dann frühstücke ich."  (I get up and then I have breakfast.)

⧫Clause 1: "Ich stehe auf" (I get up) ➞The prefix "auf" is split from "stehen" and placed at the end of this clause.

⧫Clause 2: "dann frühstücke ich" (then I have breakfast)➞ The verb "frühstücke" remains intact as it is in the second clause.

"Herr Carlsen sieht fern, aber seine Kinder lesen." (

Mr. Carlsen is watching television, but his children are reading.)
⧫Clause 1: "Herr Carlsen sieht fern" (Mr. Carlsen is watching television) ➞Here, "fern" is the separable prefix of "sehen," and it goes to the end of this clause.

⧫Clause 2: "aber seine Kinder lesen" (but his children are reading) ➞The verb "lesen" (to read) is in its full form and remains at the second position.

When you have a sentence with multiple clauses using separable verbs, each clause follows the rule of placing the split-off prefix at the end of that specific clause. This demonstrates the systematic structure of German sentence construction, where the placement of verbs and their prefixes is predictable based on grammatical rules. Each clause operates independently, allowing for clarity in meaning while adhering to the verb positioning rules of the German language.

"Dr. Schuster schläft erst um vierundzwanzig Uhr ein, aber er steht schon um fünf Uhr auf."
(Dr. Schuster only goes to sleep at midnight, but he gets up at five o’clock.)

⧫Clause 1: "Dr. Schuster schläft erst um vierundzwanzig Uhr ein" (Dr. Schuster only goes to sleep at midnight) ➞ Here, "ein" (the prefix) is separated from "schläft" and moved to the end of this clause.

⧫Clause 2: "aber er steht schon um fünf Uhr auf" (but he gets up at five o'clock)➞ In this clause, "auf" is the prefix separated from "steht" and again placed at the end.

3.Verbs can have more than one prefix

Kommen (to come):

• ankommen ➞ to arrive 
• mitkommen ➞ to come along 
• weiterkommen ➞ to get on 
• hereinkommen ➞ to come in 
• herauskommen ➞ to come out 
• nachkommen ➞ to come later 
• zurückkommen ➞ to come back 

Steigen (to rise):

• Einsteigen ➞ to get in/on
• Umsteigen ➞ to change (trains, buses etc.)  
• Aussteigen ➞ to get out/off

4. Common separable prefixes: ab-, an-, auf-,  bei-, aus-, ein-, mit-, nach-, her-, hin-, vor-, weg-, zu-, zurück-

*You can find out whether a verb is separable by checking in a good dictionary. After the main entry, it will say ‘sep.’ if it is separable.


5. Some inseparable prefixes: These prefixes do not separate from the verb: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, and ver-, zer-. Non-separable (nicht trennbar):

• bezahlen ➞to pay 
• erzählen ➞ to tell
• verdienen ➞ to earn
• verkaufen ➞ to sell
• verstehen ➞to understand

E.g.
Ich bezahle die Rechnung. (I pay the bill.)
Er erzählt eine Geschichte. (He tells a story.)

 

7. Prefixes that can be either separable, inseparable, or both: durch-, hinter-, über-, um-, unter-. To clarify: Some prefixes in German can be both separable and inseparable depending on the verb they are attached to, while others are only one or the other.

• durch-: e.g., durchbrechen – to break through (inseparable), durchlaufen – to run through (separable)
• hinter: -e.g., hinterlassen – to leave behind (inseparable), hinterherlaufen – to run after (separable)
• über-: can be both separable and inseparable e.g., übersehen – to overlook (inseparable), überlaufen – to overflow (separable)
• um-: e.g., umfahren – to drive around (separable), umarmen – to hug (inseparable)
• unter-: e.g., unterbrechen – to interrupt (inseparable), untergehen – to sink (separable)

Practice here!