UNIT EIGHT
Unit 8 Verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes
inseparable prefixes
Different types of prefixes
Many verbs in German consist of a main verb and a prefix: ankommen
‘to arrive’, verkaufen‘to sell’, übersetzen‘to translate’/‘to ferry over’.There are three different types of prefixes in German:- separableprefixes which – as the name suggests – can exist separately
from the main verb; - inseparableprefixes which are fixed to the verb;
- variableprefixes which can either be separable or inseparable.
Here are all three forms in more detail.Separable verbs
List of commonly used separable prefixes
Separable verbs are used frequently in German. Here is a list of common
prefixes together with one possible combination as an example:ab- abfahren to depart (by vehicle)
an- anrufen to telephone
auf- aufmachen to open
aus- ausgehen to go out
bei- beitreten to join (an organisation)
ein- einkaufen to shop
fest- festnehmen to take into custody
her- herkommen to come (from somewhere)
hin- hinsetzen to sit down