In German, a separable verb is a verb that is composed of two parts: a base verb and a prefix. They are called “separable” because these prefixes often separate from the base verb, as in the example below:
However, not all German verbs with prefixes are separable! When using an inseparable-prefix verb, the prefix and the base verb will always be attached:
In this post, we’ll talk about how you can tell if a German prefix can be separated from a verb, and go over the situations where this separation is expected. Along the way, we’ll direct you to some resources where you can learn more about separable and inseparable verbs in German. Ready to have a look? Let’s check it out!
What is a separable prefix in German?
In German, a separable prefix is the beginning part of a separable verb, the part which will sometimes be split off and appear on its own.
A separable prefix is usually an adverb or preposition that can be used independently, but it’s considered a separable prefix when it becomes associated with a particular base verb, altering its meaning of that verb in ways that you can’t always predict by looking at the meaning of each part by itself. For example:
However, prefixes can’t always be separated from the verb. Though inseparable prefixes alter the meaning of a base word in a similar way to separable ones, they will always be attached to the base word.
✅Andrea verkauft heute ihr Fahrrad.
Though separable prefixes will not always be separated from the verb, the fact that they can be separated from the verb makes them special. Keep reading to find out more about when they are and are not separated from the base verb!
Which German prefixes are separable?
In German, a prefix is only separable if it belongs to a separable verb. Though some prefixes are almost always separable or almost always inseparable, many prefixes are separable in some verbs but not others. How can you be certain? Look at where the stress falls on the verb:
The verb is separable if the stress is on the first syllable (e.g. áb·fahren)
The verb is inseparable if the stress is on the base verb (e.g. be·ántworten)
Check out this list of separable and inseparable prefixes in German for some more examples.
When to split a prefix from the verb in German?
We’ve already seen that inseparable prefixes can never be split from the verb. However, separable verbs are sometimes split.
Here are the cases where a separable prefix SHOULD be split from the base verb in German:
Main clauses in the simple present tense
base verbseparable prefixIch rufe meine Eltern morgen an.Translation: I am calling my parents tomorrow.Main clauses in the simple past tense
base verbseparable prefixIch rief meine Eltern morgen an.Translation: I called my parents yesterday.The imperative
base verbseparable prefixRuf deine Eltern endlich wieder einmal an!Translation: Finally call your parents!Main clauses in the subjunctive II
base verbseparable prefixIch riefe meine Eltern an, wenn mein Telefon nicht kaputt wäre.Translation: I’d call my parents if my phone weren’t broken.Questions and negative statements
base verbseparable prefixRufst du deine Eltern an, wenn du ankommst?Translation: Are you going to call your parents when you arrive?
Here are the cases where the separable prefix SHOULD NOT be split from the base verb:
- separable prefixbase verbBevor ich meine Eltern morgen anrufe, muss ich noch mit meiner Freundin sprechen.Translation: Before I call my parents tomorrow, I’ll have to talk to my friend.simple presentWeil ich meine Eltern gestern nicht anrief, sind sie mir heute böse.Translation: Because I didn’t call my parents yesterday, they are mad at me today.simple pastWenn ich meine Eltern heute anriefe, wären sie sehr glücklich.Translation: If I called my parents today, they’d be very happy.subjunctive II
When there is an auxiliary verb, as in compound tenses (e.g. perfect tense or future tense) and passive verbs
auxiliary verbseparable prefixbase verbWir werden nächsten Winter nach Österreich umziehen.Translation: We will move to Austria next winter.Habt ihr Obst und Gemüse eingekauft?Translation: Have you shopped for fruits and vegetables?The prefix ge- forms the past participle, and when it’s added to a separable verb, it goes between the prefix and the base verb!Wir wären früher angekommen, wenn unser Auto nicht liegen geblieben wäre.Translation: We would have arrived earlier if our car hadn’t broken down.After modal verbs
modal verbseparable prefixbase verbTina muss heute noch mit ihrer Seminararbeit anfangen.Translation: Tina has to start her term paper today.Any time you form the infinitive with zu meaning to
separable prefix'zu'base verbIch habe wiederholt versucht, dich anzurufen.Translation: I tried to call you repeatedly.Tanja ging auf die Post, um eine Postkarte an ihre Eltern abzuschicken.Translation: Tanja went to the post office in order to mail a postcard to her parents.Ohne anzuhalten, fuhr der Zug am Bahnhof vorbei.Translation: The train passed the station without stopping.
Summary
Here are the main things to take away about separable and inseparable verbs in German:
Both separable and inseparable verbs are formed by adding a prefix to a “base verb.”
Separable verbs have stress on the prefix, inseparable verbs have stress on the second syllable.
Split the prefix from separable verbs in a main clause in the simple present, simple past, subjunctive II, or in interrogatives, questions, and negative sentences.
And now as a bonus bit of fun before you leave this post and move on to the separable verb exercises, I would like to draw your attention to an excerpt of an essay by Mark Twain in which he demonstrates how separable prefix-verbs would look like in the English language:
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