In this article we’ll be talking about verbs with separable prefixes, which are very common in German. Separable prefixes sometimes detach themselves from the verb and change their position. Sometimes, not always. They are attached to the infinitives, for example.
And they have one more feature: they are always stressed.
So, if the verb rufen is stressed on the first syllable (RU-fen), then in anrufen the stress moves to the separable prefix an- (AN-ru-fen). Rufen means to call (like shouting at someone to make them come) and anrufen means to telephone.
So, when you have a verb and the stress is on the prefix, it’s a separable one.
How Do the Prefixes Behave?
How do the prefixes behave? They move to the end of the clause. As an example let’s take the verb anrufen again.
The infinitive is always in one part:
| Ich muss dich anrufen. | I must call (telephone) you. |
| Wann kannst du mich wieder anrufen? | When can you call (telephone) me again? |
But in most other forms the prefix and the verb get separated. Here’s how we conjugate such verbs:
| ich rufe an | I call |
| du rufst an | you call |
| er/sie/es ruft an | he/she/it calls |
| wir rufen an | we call |
| ihr ruft an | you call |
| sie rufen an | they call |
The Präteritum looks much the same. It’s an irregular verb. The forms are: rufen – rief – gerufen.
So, here is the Präteritum conjugation:
| ich rief an | I called |
| du riefst an | you called |
| er/sie/es rief an | he/she/it called |
| wir riefen an | we called |
| ihr rieft an | you called |
| sie riefen an | they called |
Look what happens to the prefixes in sentences:
| Ich rufe dich an. | I’ll call you. |
| Ich rufe dich morgen an. | I’ll call you tomorrow. |
| Ich rufe dich morgen wieder an. | I’ll call you tomorrow again. |
The prefix always wanders to the final position. The same happens in questions, negative sentences and imperatives:
| Rufst du mich morgen wieder an? | Will you call me tomorrow again? |
| Wann rufst du mich wieder an? | When will you call me again? |
| Ich rufe dich nie wieder an. | I’ll never call you again. |
| Warum rufst du mich morgen nicht wieder an? | Why won’t you call me tomorrow again? |
| Ruf mich morgen wieder an! | Call me tomorrow again! |
| Rufen Sie mich nicht an! | Don’t call me! |
Separable Prefixes – Examples
Some of the most common separable prefixes include:
| ab- | fahren | to go | abfahren | to depart | Der Zug fährt ab. | The train is departing. |
| an- | fangen | to catch | anfangen | to start | Der Film fängt an. | The movie is starting. |
| auf- | stehen | to stand | aufstehen | to get up | Steh auf! | Get up! |
| aus- | sehen | to see | aussehen | to look | Das sieht sehr gut aus. | This looks very good. |
| ein- | schlafen | to sleep | einschlafen | to fall asleep | Sie schliefen sofort ein. | They fell asleep immediately. |
| los- | werden | to become | loswerden | to get rid of | Ich wurde den Wagen los. | I got rid of the car. |
| mit- | kommen | to come | mitkommen | to come along | Kommt ihr mit? | Are you coming along? |
| nach- | füllen | to fill | nachfüllen | to refill | Der Kellner füllt die Gläser nach. | The waiter is refilling the glasses. |
| vor- | haben | to have | vorhaben | to have planned | Was hast du jetzt vor? | What are you going to do now? |
| weg- | werfen | to throw | wegwerfen | to throw away | Ich werfe den Stuhl weg. | I’m throwing the chair away. |
| zu- | machen | to make | zumachen | to close | Mach das Fenster zu! | Close the window! |
| zurück- | kommen | to come | zurückkommen | to come back | Wann kommst du zurück? | When will you come back? |
| zusammen- | brechen | to break | zusammenbrechen | to collapse | Die Brücke brach zusammen. | The bridge collapsed. |
And there are thousands of verbs like that.