German prefixes and their meanings
A handful of prefixes build thousands of German verbs. Learn what each one adds and a new verb often explains itself: stehen is to stand, aufstehen to stand up, verstehen to understand.
Separable prefixes
They are stressed, and in a main clause they move to the end of the sentence: anrufen → "Ich rufe dich morgen an." The past participle puts ge- between them: angerufen.
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ab | off, away, down | abfahren (to depart), abnehmen (to take off; to lose weight) |
| an | on, at, toward; starting | anfangen (to begin), anrufen (to call up) |
| auf | up, open | aufstehen (to get up), aufmachen (to open) |
| aus | out | ausgehen (to go out), aussehen (to look, to appear) |
| bei | with, alongside | beitragen (to contribute), beibringen (to teach) |
| ein | in, into | einkaufen (to shop), einladen (to invite) |
| fort | away, onward | fortsetzen (to continue), fortgehen (to go away) |
| los | off; starting | losgehen (to set off), loslassen (to let go) |
| mit | along, with | mitkommen (to come along), mitnehmen (to take along) |
| nach | after; re- | nachdenken (to think over), nachmachen (to copy) |
| vor | before, forward | vorschlagen (to suggest), vorstellen (to introduce) |
| weg | away | weggehen (to leave), wegwerfen (to throw away) |
| zu | to, toward; closed | zuhören (to listen), zumachen (to close) |
| zurück | back | zurückkommen (to come back), zurückgeben (to give back) |
Inseparable prefixes
They are never stressed, never split off, and the past participle has no ge-: besuchen → besucht.
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| be- | makes the verb take a direct object | beantworten (to answer something), besuchen (to visit) |
| emp- | a form of ent- before f | empfehlen (to recommend), empfangen (to receive) |
| ent- | away, out of; undoing | entkommen (to escape), entdecken (to discover, to "un-cover") |
| er- | reaching a result | erreichen (to reach), erfinden (to invent) |
| ge- | no fixed meaning | gehören (to belong), gefallen (to please) |
| miss- | wrongly | missverstehen (to misunderstand), misstrauen (to distrust) |
| ver- | wrongly; away; change | sich verlaufen (to get lost), verkaufen (to sell), verändern (to change) |
| zer- | apart, to pieces | zerbrechen (to break into pieces), zerstören (to destroy) |
Prefixes that can be both
durch, über, um, unter, wider and wieder are separable when the meaning is literal and inseparable when it is figurative. The same verb can be both:
| Prefix | Verb | The two meanings |
|---|---|---|
| über | übersetzen | separable: er setzt uns über (he ferries us across) · inseparable: er übersetzt den Text (he translates the text) |
| um | umfahren | separable: er fährt das Schild um (he knocks the sign over) · inseparable: er umfährt die Stadt (he drives around the city) |
| wieder | wiederholen | separable: sie holt das Buch wieder (she fetches the book back) · inseparable: sie wiederholt die Frage (she repeats the question) |
| unter | unterhalten | separable: sie hält die Schüssel unter (she holds the bowl underneath) · inseparable: sie unterhält die Gäste (she entertains the guests) |
Reading German with prefixes
- Separable verbs: in SnapVerbo, tap the verb and the lookup finds its prefix at the end of the sentence, so rufe … an gives you the meaning of anrufen.
- Breaking a word down: Word Parts splits any saved word into its prefix, stem and suffix: Vorstellung is vor (before) + stell(en) (to place) + -ung.
- Whole pages: German parallel text shows a page with its English translation, sentence by sentence.
Questions
- What are separable prefixes in German?
- Prefixes such as an, auf, aus, ein, mit and vor that split off from the verb in a main clause and move to the end: anrufen becomes "Ich rufe dich morgen an." They are stressed when spoken.
- Which German prefixes are inseparable?
- be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver- and zer-. They stay attached to the verb, are never stressed, and their past participle has no ge-: besuchen, besucht.
- How can I tell if a prefix is separable?
- Listen for the stress: separable prefixes are stressed (ANrufen), inseparable ones are not (beSUchen). For durch, über, um, unter, wider and wieder, the literal meaning is usually separable and the figurative one inseparable.
- How do I look up a separable verb when its prefix is at the end of the sentence?
- Put the prefix back on the verb: "Ich rufe dich an" is anrufen. SnapVerbo does this for you: tap the verb and the lookup finds its prefix at the end of the sentence.