mit- mitmachen to join in
statt- stattfinden to take place
vor- vorbereiten to prepare
weg- wegbringen to take away
zu- zulegen to put on
zurück- zurückgeben to return (something)
zusammen- zusammenzählen to add up
Here are some of them in use:
Sie gehen heute Abend aus.
They are going out tonight.
Die Wahlen fanden letzten September statt.
The election took place last September.
Hast du schon die DVDs zurückgegeben?
Have you returned the DVDs?
Separable verbs do not always split up
Separable verbs can – as the name indicates – split into two parts. However,
they also appear as one word in certain constructions.
When to separate
A separable verb splits when it is the only verb in a main clause. This
applies to the following structures. Note that the prefix appears in the
final position:
present tense Erruftseine Freundin um 8 Uhr an.
He calls his girlfriend at 8 o’clock.
simple past tense Ichkamam Dienstag zurück.
I returned on Tuesday.
imperative Stehsofortauf!
Get/Stand up at once!
When not to separate
Separable verbs appear as one word and in the infinitive with modal verbs
and the future tense:
Er muss seine Freundin anrufen.
He has to call his girlfriend.
60 Unit 8: Verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes
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9
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2011
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