A1 · beginner · 11/27 #AYRILAN

Separable verbs

die trennbaren Verben

Separable verbs are German compound verbs whose prefix splits off and moves to the end of the sentence: Ich rufe dich an.

Ich rufe dich an — the verb split in two and one half ran to the end of the sentence. English has a few of these (“I’ll call you up”), but German does it constantly and with a fixed rule. Which prefixes split, the stress clue that tells you, and the separable verbs you will meet every day.

Contents

The verb splits in two

ShortcutIf the prefix is stressed, it splits off and goes to the end of the sentence: anrufen → ich rufe dich an.

In the dictionary it is one word: anrufen — “to call (by phone)”. Once you build a sentence it comes apart: the conjugated part sits in second position, the prefix goes to the very end.

Ich rufe dich morgen an.

I’ll call you tomorrow.

Ich anrufe dich morgen.

Wrong — the prefix does not stay in place.

You have already seen this frame with modal verbs: one end opens in second position, the other end closes the sentence (Satzklammer). The difference: there the last word was a second verb; here it is the other half of the same verb.

That is why, when you listen to German, you have to wait for the end of the sentence. Ich rufe dich… could be shouting (rufen = to call out) or phoning (anrufen). The last word decides.

Which prefixes split, which never do

There are two short lists to memorise. The prefixes that never split are only seven or eight — learn those, and everything else splits.

Splits	Example	Never splits	Example
an-	anrufen · to call	be-	bekommen · to get
auf-	aufstehen · to get up	ge-	gehören · to belong
aus-	ausgehen · to go out	er-	erklären · to explain
ein-	einkaufen · to shop	ver-	verstehen · to understand
mit-	mitkommen · to come along	zer-	zerstören · to destroy

Splits	Example	Never splits	Example
ab-	abfahren · to depart	ent-	entscheiden · to decide
zu-	zumachen · to close	emp-	empfehlen · to recommend
vor-	vorstellen · to introduce	miss-	missverstehen · to misunderstand
zurück-	zurückkommen · to come back
weg- · los- · hin- · her-	weggehen · losfahren

The ones that never split are all syllables that mean nothing on their own: be- · ge- · er- · ver- · zer- · ent- · emp- · miss-. The ones that split are prepositions and adverbs you already know: an · auf · aus · ein · mit · ab · zu · vor.

Use your ear: where is the stress?

You can know it without memorising a list — the prefix that splits is stressed. When you hear a German speaker, notice which part of the word they lean on.

Word	Stress	Splits?	In a sentence
anrufen	AN·rufen	yes	Ich rufe an.
aufstehen	AUF·stehen	yes	Ich stehe auf.
verstehen	ver·STE·hen	no	Ich verstehe.
bekommen	be·KOM·men	no	Ich bekomme.

Two verbs from the same root: aufstehen (to get up, splits) and verstehen (to understand, does not split). English does the same with stress — REcord vs. reCORD. It is not a rule you look up; the stress tells you.

The prefix rewrites the meaning

Do not treat the prefix as a “detail” — it decides what the word means. English does this with give up · give in · give away · give back. From one verb you get five different ones:

Root	+ prefix	Meaning	Example
kommen · to come	ankommen	to arrive	Der Zug kommt um 8 an.
	mitkommen	to come along	Kommst du mit?
	zurückkommen	to come back	Ich komme gleich zurück.
machen · to make, to do	aufmachen	to open	Mach bitte das Fenster auf.
	zumachen	to close	Ich mache die Tür zu.
	mitmachen	to join in	Machst du mit?
stehen · to stand	aufstehen	to get up	Ich stehe um 6 auf.
fangen · to catch	anfangen	to begin	Der Kurs fängt an.

In your vocabulary notebook write the whole verb, not the root — ankommen, mitkommen. If you try to work it out as “kommen + an”, you will freeze mid-sentence.

Four traps — when it does not split

Trap 01

With a modal verb, it stays whole

Ich muss dich anrufen.

I have to call you. → the verb stays whole, at the end

Ich muss dich rufe an.

Wrong.

The reason is simple: a verb that is not conjugated does not split. In a modal sentence the conjugated verb is muss; anrufen goes to the end as an infinitive and stays in one piece.

Trap 02

In a subordinate clause, it does not split either

Ich weiß nicht, ob er heute ankommt.

I don’t know whether he’s arriving today.

…, weil ich früh aufstehe.

…because I get up early.

In a subordinate clause the conjugated verb goes to the end anyway — and there the prefix joins it again: an + kommt = ankommt. It is not written apart.

Trap 03

In the Perfekt, -ge- goes in the middle

Ich habe dich angerufen.

I called you.

Ich bin um 6 aufgestanden.

I got up at 6.

In the Partizip II the syllable -ge- is squeezed in between the prefix and the root: an·ge·rufen · ein·ge·kauft · mit·ge·bracht. Inseparable verbs have no -ge- at all: verstanden, bekommen.

Trap 04

zu goes in the middle, too

Ich habe vergessen, dich anzurufen.

I forgot to call you.

Es ist Zeit, aufzustehen.

It’s time to get up.

In a zu + infinitive construction, zu also slips into the middle and the verb is written as one word: anzurufen, einzukaufen. With an inseparable verb, the zu stays in front as usual: zu verstehen.

15 verbs you will need ten times a day

Verb	Meaning	In a sentence
aufstehen	to get up	Ich stehe um 7 auf.
anfangen	to begin	Der Film fängt um 8 an.
aufhören	to stop, to quit	Hör auf!
anrufen	to call (by phone)	Ruf mich an!
einkaufen	to shop	Ich kaufe heute ein.
ankommen	to arrive	Wann kommst du an?
abfahren	to depart	Der Bus fährt gleich ab.
mitkommen	to come along	Kommst du mit?

Verb	Meaning	In a sentence
mitbringen	to bring along	Bring bitte Brot mit.
aufmachen · zumachen	to open · to close	Mach das Fenster auf.
anziehen · ausziehen	to put on · to take off	Zieh die Jacke an.
einschlafen	to fall asleep	Ich schlafe schnell ein.
fernsehen	to watch TV	Ich sehe abends fern.
vorstellen	to introduce · sich: to introduce yourself	Ich stelle mich vor.
zurückkommen	to come back	Ich komme später zurück.

It splits in the imperative too, and the prefix goes to the end: Ruf mich an! · Steh auf! · Mach die Tür zu!

Practice now

What you just learned

Ich ___ jeden Samstag ein. (einkaufen)
Show the answer
kaufe. The prefix is already at the end of the sentence; what you supply is the conjugated part. The dictionary form is einkaufen, but in a main clause it splits in two.
Ich weiß nicht, wann der Film ___. (anfangen)
Show the answer
anfängt. Because it is a subordinate clause, the verb goes to the end and the prefix sticks to it. The root still conjugates: fangen → er fängt, so anfängt.
Perfekt: ___ früh ___ . (aufstehen)
Show the answer
Ich bin / aufgestanden — Ich bin früh aufgestanden. Not only does -ge- go in the middle, the auxiliary is sein because it is a change of state.

What to do this week

This topic is a reflex, not a rule. The one exercise that builds the reflex: describe your day with separable verbs — most of a morning routine is made of them.

Ich stehe um … auf. — what time do you get up
Ich kaufe … ein. — what did you buy today
Ich rufe … an. — who did you call
Ich komme um … zurück. — when are you back

If you keep forgetting to put the prefix at the very end when you write, read the sentence out loud. Your ear notices before your eye — a German sentence sounds unfinished when the end is empty.

08Build

Build the sentence yourself

Tap the words and put them in order. This is the hardest part of German — and there are no options to pick from, you build it.

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Tips

Know this before the test

The core of the topic in three lines, then the mistakes people make most often.

In a main clause the verb splits in two
The conjugated part stands in second position, the prefix goes to the very end of the sentence. Everything in between — object, time, place — sits between the two.
Ich rufe dich morgen an.
A verb that is not conjugated does not split
After a modal verb or with zu, the verb stays an infinitive — whole, one word. In a subordinate clause the verb goes to the end as well, so the prefix sticks to it.
Ich muss dich anrufen. · …, weil ich aufstehe.
Stress tells you which prefix splits
If the prefix is stressed, it splits (AN·rufen); if the stress falls on the root, it does not (ver·STE·hen). The prefixes that never split are a short list: be- · ge- · er- · ver- · zer- · ent- · emp- · miss-.
aufstehen ↔ verstehen

Ich anrufe dich morgen.
Ich rufe dich morgen an.
In a main clause the verb does not stay whole. anrufen is the dictionary form, not the spoken one.
Ich muss dich rufe an.
Ich muss dich anrufen.
With a modal verb the main verb is not conjugated, and a verb that is not conjugated does not split.
Ich habe geaufstanden.
Ich bin aufgestanden.
Two mistakes at once: ge goes in the middle, not at the front, and because it is a change of state the auxiliary is sein.
…, weil ich um sechs stehe auf.
…, weil ich um sechs aufstehe.
In a subordinate clause the conjugated verb goes to the end — the prefix finds it there and sticks to it.

0806:00

Test yourself

Tap an answer — we will look at why together.

Ich dich morgen ___ . (anrufen)

I’ll call you tomorrow.

rufe … an. The conjugated part is in second position, the prefix at the end of the sentence. Everything in between (dich morgen) sits inside the brackets.

Which one is correct?

I have to call you.

Ich muss dich anrufen. With a modal verb the main verb is not conjugated — a verb that is not conjugated does not split; it goes to the end whole, as an infinitive. No zu after a modal, either.

Perfekt: früh ___ . (aufstehen)

I got up early.

Ich bin früh aufgestanden. Not only does -ge- go in the middle, the auxiliary is sein because it is a change of state.

…, weil ich um 6 . (aufstehen)

…because I get up at six.

aufstehe. In a subordinate clause the conjugated verb goes to the end and the prefix joins it — weil ich um 6 aufstehe.

Which verb does not split?

Which one keeps its prefix?

verstehen. ver- is a syllable with no meaning of its own, and the stress falls on the root (ver·STE·hen). The prefix of a separable verb is always stressed.

Der Zug um acht ___ . (abfahren)

The train leaves at eight.

fährt … ab. While the prefix goes to the end, the root conjugates normally: fahren → er fährt. Both things happen at once; neither cancels the other.

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The imperative · Imperativ

Komm! Kommt! Kommen Sie!

The imperative (Imperativ) is the German command form; it expresses an order, a suggestion or an invitation: Komm!

The A1 path · step 12 / 27

Verbs