German Separable Verbs – A Complete Guide

If you’re learning German, you’ve probably noticed verbs like aufstehen (to get up) or einkaufen (to shop). These are called separable verbs. You actually use the same concept in English every day — think of phrasal verbs like “turn off,” “give up,” or “pick up,” where the particle can split from the verb. German separable verbs work on the same principle. At first, they might seem confusing because the prefix jumps to the end of the sentence. But once you understand the rules, you’ll see that they follow a clear pattern and are used all the time in everyday German.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What separable verbs are
• How they behave in different tenses
• Common separable prefixes and their meanings
• A list of useful separable verbs with examples

What Are Separable Verbs?

A separable verb in German is made up of a base verb plus a prefix. The core rule is simple: a separable verb splits when it is the only verb in a main clause — the conjugated verb stays in second position, and the prefix moves to the very end of the sentence. You’ll see exceptions to this rule (with modal verbs and in subclauses) covered later in this guide.

• Ich stehe jeden Morgen um 7 Uhr auf.
  → I get up every morning at 7 o’clock.
• Wir kaufen heute im Supermarkt ein.
  → We are shopping at the supermarket today.

The little word at the end (auf, ein, mit, an) is the prefix.

Separable Prefixes in German

Some of the most common separable prefixes are:

Prefix	Meaning	Example	English
ab-	away/off	Der Zug fährt pünktlich ab	The train departs on time
an-	on/at/to	Er ruft seine Freundin an	He calls his girlfriend
auf-	up/open	Mach bitte das Fenster auf	Please open the window
aus-	out	Sie geht am Abend oft aus	She often goes out in the evening
ein-	in/into	Wir laden dich zum Essen ein	We invite you for dinner
her-	toward the speaker	Komm bitte her!	Come here (toward me)!
hin-	away from the speaker	Sie geht zur Schule hin	She goes to school (away from here)
mit-	with	Kommst du mit uns mit?	Are you coming along with us?
nach-	after/follow	Ich denke oft über dich nach	I often think about you
vor-	before/in front	Stell dir das mal vor!	Just imagine that!
weg-	away	Sie geht schnell weg	She leaves quickly
weiter-	further/continue	Wir machen mit der Übung weiter	We continue with the exercise
zu-	to/closed	Bitte mach die Tür zu	Please close the door
zurück-	back	Er kommt morgen zurück	He comes back tomorrow

Inseparable Prefixes: When the Prefix Never Splits

Not all German verb prefixes behave the same way. Some prefixes are inseparable — they never detach from the verb, regardless of tense or sentence type. The eight core inseparable prefixes are: be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent-, emp-, miss-.

Verbs with these prefixes are conjugated like any regular or irregular verb, but the prefix always stays in place. One practical way to tell them apart in spoken German: inseparable prefixes are never stressed, while separable prefixes carry the stress. If you hear the emphasis on the prefix, the verb is separable; if the stress falls on the verb stem, the prefix is inseparable.

Prefix	Meaning	Example	English
be-	around/on	Er bezahlt die Rechnung.	He pays the bill.
emp-	receive/recommend	Ich empfehle dieses Restaurant.	I recommend this restaurant.
ent-	away from/un-	Sie entscheidet sich schnell.	She decides quickly.
er-	achieve/result	Er erklärt die Regel.	He explains the rule.
ge-	completion	Es gehört mir.	It belongs to me.
miss-	wrongly/mis-	Du missverstehst mich.	You misunderstand me.
ver-	change/away	Ich verstehe das nicht.	I don’t understand that.
zer-	apart/into pieces	Das Kind zerbricht das Spielzeug.	The child breaks the toy.

Unlike separable prefixes, inseparable prefixes are never stressed in spoken German and never move to the end of the sentence. If you hear the stress on the verb stem rather than the prefix, the verb is inseparable.

How Separable Verbs Work in Sentences

Separable verbs are very common in German, but they can be tricky because the prefix changes position depending on the sentence structure and tense. In main clauses, the prefix usually goes to the end of the sentence in present, past, and future tenses, while in the perfect tense, it stays attached to the participle.

In subclauses, the prefix always stays with the verb at the end of the clause, no matter the tense. Understanding these patterns and how they fit into German sentence structure makes it much easier to use separable verbs correctly in everyday conversation.

Present Tense

Prefix goes to the end of the sentence.

• Ich räume heute mein Zimmer auf.
  → I’m tidying up my room today.

Simple Past (Präteritum)

Same rule: prefix at the end.

• Er stand immer früh auf.
  → He always got up early.

Perfect Tense

The prefix stays attached in the participle. Note that the ge- is inserted between the separable prefix and the verb stem: auf + ge + standen = aufgestanden.

• Ich bin gestern spät aufgestanden.
  → I got up late yesterday.

Future Tense

Prefix goes back to the end as part of the infinitive.

• Ich werde morgen früher aufstehen.
  → I will get up earlier tomorrow.

Imperative (Commands)

In commands, the prefix still moves to the end of the sentence — the same rule as the present tense. This form is very common in everyday spoken German for giving directions and instructions.

• Steh auf! → Get up!
• Mach das Fenster auf! → Open the window!
• Ruf mich an! → Call me!

With Modal Verbs (können, müssen, wollen, etc.)

When a modal verb is used in a main clause with a separable verb, the separable verb appears in its infinitive form at the end of the sentence and does not split. The modal verb takes second position and is conjugated, while the separable verb infinitive moves to the end as a whole unit.

Compare the following pairs to see the difference clearly:

• Ich stehe früh auf. → I get up early.
  Ich muss früh aufstehen. → I have to get up early.
• Er macht das Fenster auf. → He opens the window.
  Er kann das Fenster aufmachen. → He can open the window.
• Sie ruft ihn an. → She calls him.
  Sie will ihn anrufen. → She wants to call him.
• Wir fangen jetzt an. → We start now.
  Wir dürfen jetzt anfangen. → We are allowed to start now.

When a modal verb is present, the separable verb moves to the end as a whole infinitive — the prefix does not detach. This applies to all modal verbs: können, müssen, wollen, dürfen, sollen, mögen.

Subclauses

In German, when a separable verb appears in a subclause (introduced by weil, dass, wenn, etc.), the prefix stays attached to the verb at the end of the clause, no matter the tense.

• Ich bin froh, dass du mitkommst. → I’m glad that you’re coming along.
• Die Mutter ist zufrieden, weil ihr Sohn sein Zimmer aufgeräumt hat. → The mother is happy because her son cleaned up his room.
• Sie ist darüber verärgert, dass er sie nicht angerufen hat. → She is annoyed that he didn’t call her.

When Does the Verb Split? — A Quick Overview

Use this table as a reference whenever you’re unsure whether the prefix separates. All examples use aufstehen so the comparison is truly parallel.

Sentence Type	Does It Split?	Example
Main clause (present/simple past)	Yes	Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf.
Perfect tense	Prefix stays in participle	Ich bin aufgestanden.
Future tense	Verb goes to end as infinitive	Ich werde aufstehen.
With modal verb	No (infinitive at end)	Ich muss aufstehen.
Subclause	No (verb stays together at end)	…weil ich früh aufstehe.
Imperative	Yes	Steh auf!

20 Useful Separable Verbs

The verbs below are grouped by prefix family so you can see how the same prefix carries a consistent meaning across different verbs. Recognizing these patterns makes it much easier to guess the meaning of new separable verbs you encounter.

Verb	English	Example
an- verbs
anfangen	to begin	Der Kurs fängt morgen an. → The course begins tomorrow.
ankommen	to arrive	Wann kommt der Bus an? → When does the bus arrive?
anrufen	to call	Ich rufe dich später an. → I’ll call you later.
auf- verbs
aufhören	to stop	Der Regen hört endlich auf. → The rain is finally stopping.
aufmachen	to open	Kannst du bitte die Tür aufmachen? → Please open the door.
aufstehen	to get up	Ich stehe früh auf. → I get up early.
aus-/weg- verbs
ausgehen	to go out	Wir gehen heute Abend aus. → We’re going out tonight.
weggehen	to go away	Sie geht immer weg, wenn er anfängt zu motzen. → She always leaves when he starts whining.
ein- verbs
einkaufen	to shop	Sie kauft im Supermarkt ein. → She shops at the supermarket.
einladen	to invite	Wir laden unsere Freunde ein. → We invite our friends.
einschlafen	to fall asleep	Das Kind schläft sofort ein. → The child falls asleep right away.
fern- verbs
fernsehen	to watch TV	Ich sehe abends gern fern. → I like to watch TV in the evenings.
mit- verbs
mitbringen	to bring along	Kannst du Getränke mitbringen? → Can you bring drinks along?
mitkommen	to come along	Kommst du ins Kino mit? → Are you coming to the movie theater?
vor- verbs
vorbereiten	to prepare	Ich bereite das Abendessen vor. → I prepare dinner.
weiter-/zusammen- verbs
weitermachen	to continue	Lass uns mit der Übung weitermachen. → Let’s continue with the exercise.
zusammenarbeiten	to collaborate	Wir arbeiten eng zusammen. → We work closely together.
zu-/zurück- verbs
zuhören	to listen	Hör mir bitte gut zu. → Please listen carefully to me.
zurückkommen	to come back	Er kommt morgen aus dem Urlaub zurück. → He comes back from vacation tomorrow.
zumachen	to close	Bitte mach das Fenster zu. → Please close the window.

Notice how one root verb can combine with multiple prefixes to create entirely different meanings — for example: kommen → ankommen (to arrive), mitkommen (to come along), zurückkommen (to come back). Recognizing these root-and-prefix combinations will accelerate your vocabulary growth significantly.

Common Mistakes with German Separable Verbs

Even once you know the rules, a few patterns tend to trip learners up repeatedly. Here are the most common errors — and how to fix them.

Forgetting to move the prefix to the end

Incorrect: Ich aufstehe um 7 Uhr.
Correct: Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf.
In a main clause, the conjugated verb always takes second position and the prefix moves to the very end of the sentence.

Splitting the verb in a subclause

Incorrect: …weil ich früh stehe auf.
Correct: …weil ich früh aufstehe.
In subclauses introduced by weil, dass, wenn, and similar conjunctions, the separable verb stays together and moves to the end of the clause as a unit.

Splitting the verb after a modal verb

Incorrect: Ich muss früh stehe auf.
Correct: Ich muss früh aufstehen.
After a modal verb, the separable verb appears as a whole infinitive at the end of the sentence — the prefix does not detach.

Confusing separable and inseparable prefixes

Incorrect: Er bezahlt die Rechnung be.
Correct: Er bezahlt die Rechnung.
Prefixes like be-, ver-, and er- are inseparable — they never split from the verb. If you’re unsure, listen for the stress: a stressed prefix means the verb is separable; an unstressed prefix means it’s inseparable.

Further Reading

German has some rather unusual separable verbs that are both fun and sometimes surprising. For example rumknutschen (“to make out”): Die Teenager haben im Kino rumgeknutscht. → The teenagers were making out in the movie theater. Another one is abblitzen lassen (“to blow someone off”), often used in social situations: Sie hat ihn nach dem Date abblitzen lassen. → She blew him off after the date.

Some German verbs can be both separable or inseparable, and the meaning changes depending on stress. For example, übersetzen can mean “to ferry across” (ÜBER·setzen) or “to translate” (überSETzen), and umfahren can mean “to run over” (UM·fahren) or “to drive around” (umFAHren).

Quick Recap

• In a main clause with no modal verb, the prefix always moves to the very end of the sentence: Ich stehe auf.
• In the perfect tense, the prefix stays attached in the past participle, with ge- inserted between the prefix and the verb stem: Ich bin aufgestanden.
• After a modal verb, the separable verb moves to the end as a whole infinitive — the prefix does not detach: Ich muss aufstehen.
• In subclauses introduced by weil, dass, wenn, and similar conjunctions, the separable verb stays together at the end of the clause: …weil ich früh aufstehe.
• Inseparable prefixes (be-, ver-, er-, ge-, zer-, ent-, emp-, miss-) never split from the verb, regardless of tense or sentence type.
• In spoken German, stress distinguishes the two types: the prefix is stressed in separable verbs (AUFstehen), while inseparable prefixes are never stressed (verSTEHen).

Once you know these rules, separable verbs will start to feel natural — and you’ll recognize them everywhere in German conversation and writing.