German's Separable-Pre x … Search GO

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German's Separable-
Pre x Verbs
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Words in English, liked "jumped out" are analgous with

German's separable prefix verbs. Getty Images / Hans
Berggren

by Hyde Flippo
Updated March 06, 2017

There are two charts below. The first lists

German's most frequently used prefixes,
the second the including less common ones
(fehl-, statt-, etc.) Click here for an
overview of inseparable verbs.

German separable prefix verbs can be

compared to English verbs like "call up,"
"clear out" or "fill in." While in English you
can say either "Clear German's drawers" or x …
out your Separable-Pre Search GO

"Clear your drawers out," in German the

separable prefix is almost always at the
end, as in the second English example.
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A German example
with anrufen: Heute ruft er seine
Freundin an. = Today he's calling his
girlfriend (up). This applies to most
"normal" German sentences, but in some
cases (infinitive forms or in dependent
clauses) the "separable" prefix does not
separate. 

In spoken German, separable verb prefixes

are stressed.

All of the separable-prefix verbs form their

past participle with ge-. Examples: Sie hat
gestern angerufen, She called/telephoned
yesterday. Er war schon zurückgegangen, Advertisement

He had already gone back. - For more about

German verb tenses, see our German
Verbs section.

Separable Prefixes
Trennbare Präfixe

Prefix Meaning Exa

ab- from abblenden (sc

dim [lights])
abdanken (abd
abkommem (g
abnehmen (pi
reduce)
abschaffen (ab
with)
 abziehen (ded
German'sprint [photos])x …
Separable-Pre Search GO

an- at, to anbauen (culti

plant)
anbringen (fas
display)
anfangen (beg
anhängen (atta
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ankommen (ar
anschauen (lo

auf- on, out, up, aufbauen (bui

un- add on)
aufdrehen (tu
wind up)
auffallen (stan
noticeable)
aufgeben (give
[luggage])
aufkommen (a
bear [costs])
aufschließen (
[land])

aus- out, from ausbilden (edu

ausbreiten (ex
out)
ausfallen (fail,
canceled)
ausgehen (go o
ausmachen (1
aussehen (app
auswechseln (
replace [parts]

bei- along, with beibringen (te

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beikommen (g
with)
 beischlafen (h
German'srelations with)x …
Separable-Pre Search GO

beisetzen (bur
beitragen (con
beitreten (join

durch-* through durchhalten (w

endure; hold o
durchfahren (

*The prefix durch- is usually separable, bu

inseparable.

ein- in, into, einatmen (inh

inward, einberufen (co
down convene, summ
einbrechen (b
down/through,
eindringen (fo
penetrate, besi
einfallen (colla
remind)
eingehen (ente
received)

fort- away, forth, fortbilden (con

onward education)
fortbringen (t
repair], post)
fortpflanzen (
reproduce; be t
fortsetzen (con
forttreiben (dr

mit- along, with, mitarbeiten (c

co- collaborate)
mitbestimmen
have a say in)
mitbringen (b
 mitfahren (go/
German'saSeparable-Pre
lift) x… Search GO

mitmachen (jo
with)
mitteilen (info
communicate)

nach- after, copy, nachahmen (im

re- copy)
nachbessern (
nachdrucken 
nachfüllen (re
nachgehen (fo
run slow [clock
nachlassen (sl

vor- before, vorbereiten (p

forward, vorbeugen (pr
pre-, pro- forward)
vorbringen (p
up; bring forw
vorführen (pr
vorgehen (pro
first)
vorlegen (pres

weg- away, off wegbleiben (st

wegfahren (lea
sail away)
wegfallen (be
cease to apply,
weghaben (ha
have got done)
wegnehmen (t
wegtauchen (d

zu- shut/closed, zubringen (bri

to, towards, zudecken (cov
upon zuerkennen (b
 [on])
Separable-Pre x …
German'szufahren (driv Search GO

zufassen (mak
zulassen (auth
zunehmen (in
weight)

zurück- back, re- zurückblende

[to])
zurückgehen (
zurückschlage
back)
zurückschreck
back/from, rec
zurücksetzen 
down, put back
zurückweisen
turn back/away

zusammen- together zusammenbau

zusammenfas
zusammenkla
shut)
zusammenkom
come together)
zusammenset
together)
zusammensto
clash)

Less Common, but Still Useful,

Separable Verbs
Above, are listed the most common
separable prefixes in German. For many
other, less frequently used separable
prefixes, see the chart below. While some of
the separable prefixes below, such as fehl-
German's
or statt-, are used in only two Separable-Pre
or three x… Search GO

German verbs, they often turn out to be

important, useful verbs that one should
know.

Less Common Separable Prefix

Trennbare Präfixe 2

Prefix Meaning Examp

da- there dableiben (stay b

dalassen (leave th

dabei- there dabeibleiben (sta

it)
dabeisitzen (sit in

daran- on/to it darangeben (sac

daranmachen (se
get down to it)

empor- up, emporarbeiten (

upward, way up)
over emporblicken (r
eyes up, look up)
emporragen (tow
above/over)

entgegen- against, entgegenarbeite

towards work against)
entgegenkomme
come towards)

entlang- along entlanggehen (go

along)
entlangschramm
by)

fehl- awry, fehlgehen (go ast

 wrong fehlschlagen (go
German's
come to nothing) x …
Separable-Pre Search GO

fest- firm, festlaufen (run a

fixed festlegen (establi
festsitzen (be stu

gegenüber- across gegenüberliegen

from, opposite)
opposite, gegenüberstellen
con- compare)

gleich- equal gleichkommen (e

match)
gleichsetzen (equ
equivalent)

her- from, herfahren (come

here herstellen (manu
produce; establish

herauf- up from, heraufarbeiten (

out of way up)
heraufbeschwör
give rise to)

heraus- from, herauskriegen (g

out of find out)
herausfordern (c
provoke)

hin- to, hinarbeiten (wor

towards, hinfahren (go/dr
there

hinweg- away, hinweggehen (di

over pass over)
hinwegkommen 
over)
 hinzu- in hinbekommen (g
German's
addition Separable-Pre x …
addition) Search GO

hinzufügen (add

los- away, losbellen (start b

start losfahren (set/dr

statt- -- stattfinden (take
held [event])
stattgeben (grant

zusammen- together, zusammenarbei

to pieces operate, collabora
zusammengeben
[ingredients])
zusammenhauen
pieces)
zusammenheften
together)
zusammenkrach
[down])
zusammenreiße
oneself together)

zwischen- between zwischenblenden

insert [film, musi
zwischenlanden 
[flying])

NOTE: All of the separable verbs form their

participle with ge-, as
in zurückgegangen (zurückgehen).

college student computer

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pushing x …Frankfurt,
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two blocks Germany train small photos of
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getting ready in
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trailing from
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extinguished
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writing name "Beginnen"
(to Begin) in
on blackboard
German
on rst day of
class, rear view.
 Reading German's
YoungSeparable-Pre x …College
Search GO
Textbooks woman helping students
elderly woman studying at
table

The German
Top 100
Most-Used Master the Word 'Aus'
Most Popular Can Be a
German
Words German Verbs Pre x or a
Dative
How To Preposition
Correctly Use
Mixed race
Tricky
student German College
studying in Words, Like students
library Doch!
studying at
table

Describe
Learn How to
Conjugate
Things Do You Know
Common Using the Rules for
German Verbs German the Present
Adjectives Perfect Tense
in German?

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