Separable verbs — trennbare Verben

A separable verb is a verb whose prefix snaps OFF in a main clause and flies to the end of the sentence. The prefix carries meaning — often changing the verb's sense dramatically — but it refuses to sit next to the stem when you're actually using it. It took German a while to settle on this; now it's everywhere.

The first example, thought out loud

Take aufmachen (to open).

• Infinitive: aufmachen (prefix glued on).
• Dictionary form you look up: aufmachen.
• In a sentence: the prefix auf splits off, and the main verb mache stays in slot 2:

Ich mache die Tür auf. — I open the door.

The two halves form a verbal bracket: conjugated verb at position 2, separated prefix at the end. Everything else lives in between.

When the prefix stays attached

It stays attached in three places:

1. Infinitive (dictionary form). aufmachen.
2. After a modal — because the infinitive goes to the end anyway. Ich muss die Tür aufmachen.
3. In a subordinate clause (verb-final). ...weil ich die Tür aufmache.

And it slides apart with ge- in the participle:

• aufmachen → aufgemacht.

The separable prefixes worth knowing

A handful of prefixes do most of the work. Here are the ones you'll meet early:

Most of these live a second life as their own prepositions. That's usually a clue to the meaning.

Across the tenses

Inseparable prefixes — don't mix them up

Some prefixes NEVER separate. If you see one of these on a verb, it stays fused forever and no ge joins the participle:

be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, zer-

The stress trick

If you're not sure whether a prefix is separable, say the word out loud. Separable prefixes are stressed: AUFstehen, ANrufen, EINladen. Inseparable prefixes are unstressed: beSUchen, verSTEhen. Native speakers rely on this entirely.

durch-, über-, um-, unter-, wider- — the shifty middle group

These five can go either way depending on the verb, and the stress trick still works:

• UMziehen — to move (separable). Er zieht um.
• umARmen — to hug (inseparable). Er umarmt sie.

Don't try to memorize the list. Learn each verb with its behavior.

Common mistakes, named

1. Not splitting the prefix. Ich aufstehe früh. ❌ → Ich stehe früh auf. ✓

2. Splitting in subordinate clauses. ..., weil ich stehe früh auf. ❌ → ..., weil ich früh aufstehe. ✓

3. Missing the ge in the middle. Ich bin aufstanden. ❌ → Ich bin aufgestanden. ✓

4. Putting ge outside an inseparable prefix. Ich habe gebesucht. ❌ → Ich habe besucht. ✓ Inseparable prefixes skip ge.

Mini check

Where this leads

Strong verbs come back for one more look — not just Perfekt, but as a reference. The full three-part list (infinitive / Präteritum / Partizip II) is the core of German verb literacy. Take a lesson to survey the big ones.

Next up: Unregelmäßige Verben — the irregular-verb reference.

Test yourself