verstehen ‘to understand’Ich habe alles ganz gut verstanden.
I understood everything very well.zerschlagen ‘to smash (to pieces)’Der Junge zerschlug das Fenster und rannte davon.
The boy broke the window and ran off.Some verbs have a ‘double prefix’, and where the first prefix is inseparable, the verb as a
whole is inseparable:Sie beanspruchen Kindergeld.
They are making a claim for child allowance.Er vernachlässigt seine Frau.
He neglects his wife.(d) Note, however, that missverstehen ‘misunderstand’ is basically inseparable, but has
the stress on the prefix and has zu inside the infinitive:Sie missverstehen mich.
You misunderstand me.Sie haben mich missverstanden.
You have misunderstood me.Es ist unmöglich, diese Warnung misszuverstehen.
It is impossible to misunderstand this warning.Note that the verb anerkennen ‘to recognize/acknowledge’ is used both as a separable
verb and (less commonly) as an inseparable verb:Ich erkenne das als richtig an.
Ich anerkenne das als richtig.
I acknowledge that as right.36.3 Verbs with a variable prefix
See also 57.3 (p. 144).
(a) A few verbal prefixes can be separable or inseparable: durch-, über-, um-, unter-,
voll-, wider-.(b) Where the same verb + prefix combination can be both separable and inseparable,
there is a subtle distinction in meaning. Usually, the separable verb retains the literal
meaning of the preposition, while the inseparable verb contains an extended or
figurative meaning:um*gehen ‘to circulate/go round’Diese Gerüchte gehen seit Monaten um.
These rumours have been going around for months.36
Separable/inseparable