Separable Verbs in the Present Tense
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Learn how common separable verbs form a verbal bracket in main clauses.
Explanation
Separable verbs
Many German verbs have a stressed prefix, such as anrufen, aufstehen, einkaufen, mitkommen and fernsehen.
In a main clause, the prefix moves to the end while the conjugated verb is in position 2:
- Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf. — I get up at seven.
- Mia ruft ihre Mutter an. — Mia calls her mother.
- Wir kaufen am Samstag ein. — We shop on Saturday.
- Kommst du heute mit? — Are you coming along today?
- Er sieht abends fern. — He watches television in the evening.
With a modal verb, the infinitive remains together at the end: Ich muss morgen früh aufstehen. Contrast the separated form stehe ... auf without a modal verb with the combined infinitive aufstehen after a modal verb.
Exercises
- Order the words. Put the prefix at the end. (11)
- Write a complete sentence with the separable verb. (11)
A1 · German · Grammar