Did you know that German verbs can have separable prefixes? Well, they do! And these prefixes change the meaning of the original verb. They even create a new word.
Separable prefixes are separated from their verb; the verbs are conjugated as normal: einkaufen, ich kaufe ein. In a main clause, the prefix is moved to the end of the sentence.
Separable prefixes: ab-, an-, auf-, aus-, bei-, ein-, her-, hin-, los-, mit-, nach-, vor-, weg-, zu-, zurück-
Ich kaufe im Supermarkt ein.
Inseparable prefixes are not separated from their verb; the verbs are conjugated as normal: verkaufen, ich verkaufe. The prefix determines whether a verb is separable or not.
Inseparable prefixes: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, zer-
These prefixes remain a permanent part of the verb, even in the finite form.
Ich verkaufe mein Auto.
Separable or inseparable prefixes: durch-, hinter-, über-, um-, unter-
Some verbs with these prefixes are always separable.
umschauen – er schaut sich um
Some other verbs with these prefixes are never separable.
umarmen – sie umarmt ihn
Some verbs with these prefixes can be either separable or inseparable. In this case, the separable verb and the inseparable verb have two different meanings.
umfahren – Er fährt das Schild um. – Er umfährt das Schild.
Puh! I know... and yes, you have to listen to the end of the sentence to really understand it. Some people say this is especially tricky for some men... what do you think?
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