Trennbare Präfixverben – Separable Prefix Verbs
One facet of verbs is that they can be preceded by prefixes, small units of language that somehow modify or enhance the meaning of basic verbs. Although there are some patterns as to how these prefixes affect the verbs’ meaning, for the most part you just need to learn the individual verbs.
| Wir sehen im Wohnzimmer fern. | The seven dwarves are watching TV in the living room. |
| Die Freundin spielt uns Netflix’ Dark vor. | The friend is playing us Netflix’ Dark. |
| Sie lädt natürlich auch die Professorin ein. | She invites the professor as well, of course. |
| Sie bringt frische Kekse und Kaffee mit. | She brings fresh cookies and coffee (to the party). |
Prepositions as separable prefixes
Most prepositions can be made into separable prefixes, and most separable prefixes are originally prepositions. These prefixes change the new verb’s meaning in a way that is often related to the original meaning of the preposition. Here are some examples for the most common separable prefixes:
| preposition/prefix (general meaning) |
example | english |
| AB– (away) | abfahren absagen |
depart cancel |
| AN– (towards) | ankommen anfangen |
arrive begin |
| AUF– (up, on) | aufstehen aufhören |
wake up stop |
| AUS– (out, also suggests completion) | aussteigen ausstehen |
get out (of a bus) stand somebody |
| EIN– (in) | einsteigen einladen |
get in (a bus, train) invite |
| LOS– (indicates beginning something) | losgehen losbrechen |
get started break loose/escape (break out) |
| MIT– (with, along) | mitbringen mitkommen |
bring along come with, come along |
| NACH– (after, follow) | nachholen nachlaufen |
make up (work, homework) run after someone (literally) |
| VOR– (before, ahead, forward) | vorlesen vorspielen |
read out loud play (e.g., a film) |
| WEG– (away) | wegwerfen weglaufen |
throw away run away |
Other common separable prefix verbs:
| fernsehen – watch TV | spazieren gehen – go for a walk |
| Rad fahren – ride a bicycle | schwarzarbeiten – work illegally |
| teilnehmen – participate | schwarzfahren – ride (e.g., a train) without a ticket |
| kennenlernen – get to know | achtgeben – pay attention |
Word order and separable prefixes
A. Declarative sentences
The separable prefixes affect word order in basic sentences. The typical word order in basic German (declarative) sentences is SUBJECT-VERB-VERBAL COMPLEMENTS. While this order stays the same for the most part, the separable prefix of the separable prefix verb goes to the very end of the declarative sentence.
| parts of the sentence | subject | verb | other items that complete the verb (e.g., direct object) | separable prefix |
| declarative sentence | Chef | spielt | Tennis. | |
| declarative sentence with a separable prefix verb | Chef | spielt | den Film | vor. |
B. Questions
Separable prefix verbs affect the word order in questions as well:
| parts of the sentence | subject/question word | verb | verbal complements/subject | separable prefix |
| declarative sentence | Chef | spielt | den Film | vor. |
| Who? | Wer | spielt | den Film | vor? |
| What? | Was | spielt | Chef | vor? |
C. With modal verbs
Modal verbs affect the word order of sentences with separable prefix verbs, too:
| parts of the sentence | subject | primary verb | verbal complements/subject | separable prefix/infinitive |
| declarative sentence | Chef | spielt | den Film | vor. |
| modal verb: wollen | Chef | will | den Film | vorspielen. |
| question with modal verb | Was | will | Chef | vorspielen? |
Below are some of the most commonly used separable prefix verbs with English equivalents. The first column offers some general meanings associated with the prefixes, but these are only tendencies, not set rules.
| preposition/prefix (general meaning) | example | english |
| AB– (away) | abbrennen abgeben abkürzen abnehmen abschließen abtreiben |
burn down turn in (homework), hand over (ticket) shorten lose weight finish, complete abort |
| AN– (towards) | anerkennen andeuten angeben anklagen ankleiden anschauen anstellen anweisen anwenden |
recognize hint at, suggest brag, show off accuse dress watch hire, employ instruct use |
| AUF– (up, on) | aufatmen aufbleiben aufführen aufklären auflockern aufnehmen aufräumen aufschlagen aufwachsen |
breathe a sigh of relief stay up (person), stay open (store) perform (e.g., theater play) inform, enlighten, clear up liven up (a party, person) take a picture of (incl. video images) tidy/clean up (e.g., room) open (eyes, book) grow up |
| AUS– (out, also suggests completion) | ausbilden ausbrechen ausdrucken ausdrücken ausflippen ausgeben ausgehen auslachen ausmachen ausnutzen ausschließen aussprechen aussterben austauschen |
educate, train break out print (e.g., text, picture) express freak out (flip out) publish, hand out go out, date laugh at (someone) turn off (light), put out (fire) take advantage of (person, opportunity) lock out, exclude pronounce die out, go extinct exchange |
| EIN– (in) | einbrechen einfallen (es ist mir eingefallen) einführen einkaufen einleben (sich) einnehmen einrichten einschätzen einschlafen einschüchtern einwerfen einziehen |
break in (horse, into house) occur (to someone), come to mind introduce (a topic) go shopping, buy get used to earn, make money furnish (apartment), arrange (furniture) judge, guess (e.g., at size, value) fall asleep intimidate, bully throw in (e.g., remark, towel) move in (e.g., into a new apartment) |
| LOS– (beginning something) | losfahren loswerden |
get going, leave get rid of, spend, lose |
| MIT– (with, along) | mitbekommen mitfahren mitfühlen mitmachen mitnehmen mitspielen mitteilen |
get out (of a lecture), understand ride along sympathize participate, do something w/someone take along play along (in a sport) inform, share knowledge |
| NACH– (after, follow) | nachahmen nachdenken (ich möchte darüber ~) nacherzählen nachfolgen nachgeben nachprüfen nachschlagen nachtun nachzählen |
imitate think about (I’d like to think about that) retell, relate (a story) follow, succeed (e.g., a king) give in (e.g., to pressure) double check (e.g., essay, homework) look up (e.g., a word in a dictionary) follow somebody’s example re-count (double check numbers) |
| VOR– (before, ahead, forward) | vorbereiten vorbestellen vorhaben vorkommen vornehmen vorstellen vortragen |
prepare order in advance (e.g., books) plan, have in mind come up, happen carry out a task introduce, imagine perform (play), give lecture/opinion |
| WEG– (away) | wegbleiben wegbringen weggehen wegnehmen wegräumen wegtreten wegziehen |
stay away take/bring away go away take away clear away (e.g., mess) step away pull away |
Aktivität – Trennbare Präfixverben
