In this chapter we have encountered verbs such as "umsteigen" ("to change (trains etc.)"), "aussteigen" ("to get out (of a train etc.)"), "einsteigen" ("to get on (trains etc.)") and "ankommen" ("to arrive") which are known as separable verbs.

This is because they can be separated into two parts - a prefix and a main verb. Most prefixes are prepositions (as in all the cases listed above), but they are occasionally adverbs, nouns, or adjectives.

Grammar 5: Components of a separable verb   Prefix  +  Verb  =  Sep. Verb ab (from)  +  fahren (to travel)  =  abfahren (to depart) an (at)  +  kommen (to come)  =  ankommen (to arrive) aus (out of)  +  steigen (to climb)  =  aussteigen (to get out) ein (in)  +  steigen (to climb)  =  einsteigen (to get in) um  +  steigen (to climb)  =  umsteigen (to change)

Word order in separable verbs
If the separable verb is the first (and often only) verb in a sentence or clause, these two elements separate. The main verb - also called the stem - assumes its normal position in the sentence, but the prefix is placed right at the end. Look at the following examples:

Grammar 6: Separable verbs in a normal clause   Verb Clause abfahren Wann fährst du ab? ("When do you depart?") ankommen Wann kommt der Zug an? ("When does the train arrive?") aussteigen Er steigt in München aus. ("He gets out in Munich.") einsteigen Bitte steigen Sie ein! ("Please get in!") umsteigen Sie steigen hier um. ("You change here.")

But if the separable verb is the second verb in a sentence, it does not split up and behaves just like any other verb. Note too that when a separable verb is the second verb in the sentence, it will always remain in the infinitive form.

The separable verb will be the second verb in a sentence when it follows what is known as a modal verb. These verbs will be explained in detail in Chapter 8, but for now you should note that we have already met three of them: "müssen" ("to have to"), "wollen" ("to want") and "mögen" ("to like") - although we have only encountered the latter in the form "ich möchte" ("I would like").

Grammar 7: Separable verbs after a modal verb Modal verb Clause müssen Wann müssen Sie abfahren? ("When do you have to depart?") wollen Wo wollen Sie umsteigen? ("Where do you want to change?") mögen Ich möchte jetzt aussteigen. ("I want to get out now.")

Which prefixes are separable?
The following common prefixes are always separable when attached to a main verb:

Grammar 8: Separable prefixes ab- ("away")    an- ("starting")    auf- ("up") aus- ("out")    bei- ("joining")    da(r)- ein- ("in")    entgegen- ("towards")    hin- ("away") her- ("towards")    los- ("starting")    mit- ("with") nach- ("after")    nieder- ("down")    vor- ("ahead") vorbei- ("past")    weg- ("away")    zu- ("on") zurück- ("back")    zusammen- ("together")

The following prefixes are separable when they precede certain verbs and inseparable when they precede others:

Grammar 9: Occasionally separable prefixes durch- ("through")    hinter- ("behind")    über- ("over") um- ("change")    unter- ("under")    wieder- ("again")

Don't worry if you can't remember all of these - this will take some time. For the moment you should try to remember which verbs that we encounter during this course are separable and how they should be used. We will always indicate which verbs are separable in our vocabulary lists.

Test yourself!
You can test yourself on separable verbs by clicking on the two bars below:

 Chapter 6.7: Places and prepositions

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