Intermediate German: A Grammar and Workbook

Ich werde am Dienstag zurückkommen.

I’ll return on Tuesday.

In most subordinate clauses, the separable verb moves to the last position

and does not split up. Its ending must agree with the subject of the clause:

Sag mir, wann du ankommst.

Tell me when you’ll arrive.

Ich verstehe nicht, warum er sich immer so aufregt.

I don’t understand why he always gets so upset.

Past participles

The past participle of separable verbs is normally formed by inserting

-ge-between the prefix and the main verb:ankommen→angekommen.

For more detail on the formation of past participles and their usage in

the present perfect and past perfect tense, see Units 11 and 13.

Verbs with inseparable prefixes

List of commonly used inseparable prefixes

There are also a number of prefixes which never detach themselves from

the main verb. They include:

be- besuchen to visit

emp- empfinden to feel

ent- entleeren to empty

er- erzählen to tell (a story)

ge- gehören to belong

miss- missachten to disregard

ver- verlieren to lose

zer- zerstören to destroy

Here are some of them in use:

Sie besuchen ihre Eltern fast jedes Wochenende.

They visit their parents almost every weekend.

Erzähl uns noch eine Geschichte!

Tell us another story!

Unit 8: Verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes 61

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