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Verbs with prefixes

In German many verbs have two parts. In English, too, verbs that consist of two parts are common, especially phrasal verbs. For example, the verb to come can be found as an element in such verbs and combinations as become, overcome, come to, come up, come over, etc. In German a distinction is made between verbs that have separable prefixes and verbs that have non-seperable prefixes.

Verbs with non-separable prefixes

The most common non-seperable prefixes are be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, and zer-. When the verb is pronounced, the nonseperable prefix is not stressed. Examples:

When these verbs are conjugated, they always keep their prefix in the first position. Example sentences:

Verbs with seperable prefixes

Common separable prefixes are usually prepositions, they are ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, ein-, fest-, hin-, her-, mit-, nach-, vor-, weg-, zu- etc. When the verb is pronounced, the stress in on the seperable prefix. Examples:

When these verbs are conjugated, the position of the prefix changes, going to the end of the clause. Example sentences:

Advanced: Verbs featuring prefixes that can be either separable or nonseparable:

Verbs that feature the prefixes durch-, über-, um-, unter-, wider-, and wieder- can be either separable or nonseparable, depending on the verb or the context. Example sentences: