Separable and inseparable verbs in German
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Lesson outline
Hide- 1.What are separable and inseparable verbs in German?
- 2.List of separable verbs in German (examples and positions of verbs)
- 3.Inseparable verbs in German
- 4.Separable and inseparable at the same time
- 5.Exercises
- 5.1.Exercise of separable verbs
- 5.2.Exercise of inseparable verbs
- 5.3.Exercise of separable and inseparable verb
What are separable and inseparable verbs in German?
A separable verb is composed of a separable particle and a radical (word stem). The separable particle is unchangeable and is placed at the end of a main sentence. The second part is conjugated as usual. Additionally, the separable particle is accentuated. Particles are flexible in their use, that means, the same particle is used for a lot of verbs. To differentiate between separable and inseparable verbs, it is important to know that an inseparable verb is composed of a ("true") prefix and a word stem. The prefix is not accentuated.
In general, a prefix/particle changes the basic meaning of the verb:
| German verb | verb in English | German verb with prefix/particle | verb in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| suchen | to search | besuchen | to visit |
| stellen | to put | anstellen | to line up |
| kommen | to come | hinkommen | to get to |
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List of separable verbs in German (examples and positions of verbs)
Verbs are separated with "|" to point out the formation of the separable verb. The last four columns show you a possible sentence with one exemplary verbs and the correctly applied sentence structure. Remember that this is only a guidance!
| explanation | particle + verb | position 1 | radical | position 2 | particle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at, on | an | fassen, an | machen, an | springen | Die Katze | springt | den Hund | an. |
| off, down | ab | fahren, ab | fallen , ab | schreiben | Der Zug | fährt | am Gleis | ab. |
| up | auf | bauen, auf | stehen, auf | räumen | Das Mädchen | räumt | das Zimmer | auf. |
| out | aus | räumen | Der Vater | räumt | die Kisten | aus. |
| in, into | ein | räumen, ein | stellen, ein | kaufen | Die Mutter | kauft | das Brot | ein. |
| home | heim | fahren, heim | kommen | Der Sohn | kommt | heim | |
| here | her | kommen | Er | kommt | hier | her. |
| out | heraus | fahren, heraus | bringen | Die Tochter | bringt | den Müll | heraus. |
| in | herein | bringen, herein | holen | Der Kellner | holt | die Stühle | herein. |
| up | herauf | stellen | Die Mutter | stellt | die Lampe | herauf. |
| to there | hin | stellen | Die Mutter | stellt | die Vase | hin. |
| up | hinauf | laufen, hinauf | stellen | Das Kind | läuft | die Treppe | hinauf. |
| away, to let go | los | laufen, los | lassen | Er | läuft | in Richtung Straße | los. |
| with | mit | nehmen, mit | denken | Sie | nimmt | das Handtuch | mit. |
| catch up | nach | kommen, nach | holen | Der Schüler | holt | den Stoff | nach. |
| undertake | vor | nehmen | Sie | nehmen | sich Etwas | vor. |
| away | weg | kommen, weg | nehmen, weg | essen | Er | isst | die Schokolade | weg. |
| to | zu | nehmen , zu | hören | Sie. | hört | ihm | zu. |
| back | zurück | nehmen | Sie | nimmt | die Beschimpfung | zurück. |
Inseparable verbs in German
Some verbs in the German language remain inseparable. They have a prefix in front of their stem. The verb is placed second.
| explanation | prefix + verb | example |
|---|---|---|
| be | beantworten, bestehen, beschweren | Ich beantworte dir gerne die Frage. |
| ent | entkommen, entfliehen, entschwinden | Ich entkomme dem Verfolger. |
| er | erstehen, erstellen, erfinden | Ich erfinde eine Geschichte. |
Separable and inseparable at the same time
Some verbs can be both: separable or inseparable. In these cases, the verb has different meanings. Prefixes like: durch-, unter-, hinter-, über-, um-. For example: Übersetzen
In this lesson you studied the separable and inseparable verbs in the German language. There are verbs, that are inseparable, separable or can be both at the same time. Test your skills with our exercises!
Exercises
Exercise of separable verbs
Solution
Das Kind - anhalten - mit dem Fahrrad
Das Kind hält mit dem Fahrrad an.
Der Mann - aushalten - das Gewicht
Der Mann hält das Gewicht aus.
Die Frau - aufhalten - die Tür
Die Frau hält die Tür auf.
Der Tochter - einfallen - nichts
Der Tochter fällt nichts ein.
Der Freund - nachfahren - der Freundin
Der Freund fährt der Freundin nach.
Die Familie - losfahren - in den Urlaub
Die Familie fährt in den Urlaub los.
Der älteste Sohn - nachkommen - in den Urlaub
Der älteste Sohn kommt in den Urlaub nach.
Er - ankommt - morgen.
Er kommt morgen an.
Die Familie - zurückkommen - in 2 Wochen
Die Familie kommt in 2 Wochen zurück.
Exercise of inseparable verbs
Solution
Du - beantworten - die Frage
Du beantwortest die Frage.
Er - erleben - den Sommer seines Lebens
Er erlebt den Sommer.
Sie - gewinnen - das Spiel
Sie gewinnt das Spiel.
Er - verschlafen - oft
Er schläft oft ver.
Er - hinkommen - zur Party
Er kommt zur Party hin.
Sie - zerbrechen - unter der Last
Sie zerbricht unter der Last
Der Witz - entgehen - ihm nicht
Der Witz entgeht ihm nicht.
Sie - erkennen - den Platz
Sie erkennt den Platz.
Sie - wiedererkennen - den Platz
Sie erkennt den Platz wieder.
Exercise of separable and inseparable verb
Exercises
Exercise of separable verbs
Solution
Das Kind - anhalten - mit dem Fahrrad
Das Kind hält mit dem Fahrrad an.
Der Mann - aushalten - das Gewicht
Der Mann hält das Gewicht aus.
Die Frau - aufhalten - die Tür
Die Frau hält die Tür auf.
Der Tochter - einfallen - nichts
Der Tochter fällt nichts ein.
Der Freund - nachfahren - der Freundin
Der Freund fährt der Freundin nach.
Die Familie - losfahren - in den Urlaub
Die Familie fährt in den Urlaub los.
Der älteste Sohn - nachkommen - in den Urlaub
Der älteste Sohn kommt in den Urlaub nach.
Er - ankommt - morgen.
Er kommt morgen an.
Die Familie - zurückkommen - in 2 Wochen
Die Familie kommt in 2 Wochen zurück.
Exercise of inseparable verbs
Solution
Du - beantworten - die Frage
Du beantwortest die Frage.
Er - erleben - den Sommer seines Lebens
Er erlebt den Sommer.
Sie - gewinnen - das Spiel
Sie gewinnt das Spiel.
Er - verschlafen - oft
Er schläft oft ver.
Er - hinkommen - zur Party
Er kommt zur Party hin.
Sie - zerbrechen - unter der Last
Sie zerbricht unter der Last
Der Witz - entgehen - ihm nicht
Der Witz entgeht ihm nicht.
Sie - erkennen - den Platz
Sie erkennt den Platz.
Sie - wiedererkennen - den Platz
Sie erkennt den Platz wieder.
Exercise of separable and inseparable verb
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My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
I've had students of all ages, from pre-school kids to senior generation, and I feel comfortable working with both beginners and those who are eager to take their learning process to a new level. In my classes I encourage you to talk in the language we’re studying as much as possible, putting every single bit of knowledge into practice right away. If you’re a Russian-learner, I’d be glad to prove it to you that you can absolutely nail my mother-tongue - and yes, you’ll be able to make a small talk in Russian by the end of the first class even if you’re an absolute beginner! We’ll be focusing on the topics that are most relevant to your goals, while discovering the language and getting to know more about the culture of people who speak it.
I offer a short free trial class, for us to give each other a smile and discuss our teaching pattern, in order to ajust it to your goals and make our lessons the bee's knees :) See you soon!
A. V.
Katerina is a very flexible teacher makes the effort of adapting the contents of the lessons to my needs
Ekaterina V.
My name is Christina and I provide German & French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
A. K.
Today, I had a vocabulary boost. It's my third class and I'm happy with the teacher and the teaching method.
Christina F.
I am a tutor in French as a foreign language. I specialize in conversation and communication from B1 level upwards, but I also have A2 students with whom I follow a more traditional method.
With me, you can express yourself freely and make mistakes without fear, I'll take note of them without interrupting. Essential is that the conversation flows and that we understand each other.
I am Belgian and my mother tongue is French. I have always loved literature, culture, and languages. I studied in Flanders for 10 years, lived in France and Switzerland for 4 years, and I currently live in Valencia, Spain.
I followed the DAEFLE training (teaching French as a foreign language) in 2017.
My practice: - online conversation / support for self-taught students
- coaching / correction of speeches, lectures and documents
Method: - interests and culture
- videos, images, music, reports, poems
- asking questions and seeking answers online (with guidance)
- I encourage listening to podcasts and the use of applications such as Duolingo outside of class for vocabulary and repetition
---------------------
Basic rate 18€/hour
Children under 16: 20€/hour
Cancellation :
- If you cancel / postpone more than 24 hours before the lesson, it will not be charged.
- In case of cancellation / postponing less than 24 hours before the lesson, it will be charged at half price.
A. .
Lessons with Elodie are less like traditional teacher-student lessons, and more like having a conversation with your French-speaking friend. Having no practical necessity to improve my French now, but wishing to do so nevertheless (and not to forget what I already knew), this is exactly the format I was looking for. Elodie usually defines a topic for the lesson (according to my preferences) and sends some materials in advance to prepare (e.g. a YouTube video to watch), which will be discussed then. She corrects persistent mistakes and explains new words but makes sure it does not interrupt the flow of conversation. It is a good language practice, but also a great way to learn new things about francophone culture (and not only!), so I definitely recommend!
Elodie O.