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German Separable Verbs Explained (Trennbare Verben)

das trennbare Verb

Before this lesson: make sure you've covered Modal Verbs first.

Many German verbs have a small prefix (auf-, an-, mit-, ein-…) that looks attached in the dictionary but splits off and jumps to the end of the sentence when you actually use the verb in the present tense.

Examples

German	English
aufstehen → Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.	to get up → I get up at 7 o'clock.
mitkommen → Kommst du mit?	to come along → Are you coming along?
einkaufen → Wir kaufen heute ein.	to shop → We are shopping today.

Memory trick: Look the verb up in the dictionary as ONE word (aufstehen), but remember it splits in two in a normal sentence.

🎯 Quick check

Where does the prefix go in "Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf"?

German Separable Verbs Explained (Trennbare Verben)

Examples

🎯 Quick check

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