German Verb Prefixes
Verbalpräfixe - Vorsilben bei Zeitwörtern
German Verb Prefixes and Spelling
Rechtschreibreform: Verbs and the New German Spelling (2006 Reform)
Verb Prefixes > Inseparable > Separable 1 > Separable 2 > Dual
> Rechtschreibreform > Sample Sentences with verb prefixes
This verb prefix guide, with a prefix chart, is part of Lesson 19 of our of free German for Beginners course. To learn more about German verbs, also see our German Verbs section and the Verb-Lexikon.
Also see: Inseparable Prefixes
Verb Prefixes and Spelling Reform
In the matter of German capitalization (Groß/klein) and the spelling of compound words and separable-prefix verbs, neither the old nor the new German spelling is simple. The old system was not very consistent: Auto fahren but radfahren, Schlange stehen but kopfstehen. The 1901 rules, those in effect until the recent reforms, did not even mention the matter. The spelling of compound words just evolved over time, and many German-speakers never spelled (and still don't spell) such German words correctly anyway.
But the new system (Rechtschreibreform), first introduced in 1996, has not really simplified matters that much. Although in general it reflects a trend towards spelling separation (Rad fahren), the new spelling has also joined word elements that were formerly separate! The new rules, for example, call for stattdessen rather than the old statt dessen, and also reverses the capitalization of some common expressions: zurzeit instead of zur Zeit (but both are used).
In the area of verbs, the new spelling rules are a bit more consistent. Below is a chart showing the old and new spellings for a selection of German verbs.
| Separable Verb-Prefix Spelling | ||
| OLD | NEW | Example |
| Auto fahren | Auto fahren | Kann er Auto fahren? Can he drive a car? |
| fallenlassen | fallen lassen | Er hat die Tasse fallen lassen. He dropped the cup. |
| glattrasieren | glatt rasieren | Er ist glatt rasiert. He is smooth shaven. |
| kennenlernen | kennen lernen | Wann hast du ihn kennen gelernt? When did you get to know him? |
| kennenlernen | kennenlernen* | Wann hast du ihn kennengelernt?* When did you get to know him? |
| *Note: The revised 2006 spelling reforms made this the preferred spelling. | ||
| leichtmachen | leicht machen | Wir haben uns das leicht gemacht. We made it easy on ourselves. |
| maschineschreiben | Maschine schreiben | Sie kann sehr schnell Maschine schreiben. She can type very fast. |
| radfahren | Rad fahren | Kannst du Rad fahren? Can you ride a bike? |
| staubsaugen | Staub saugen | Hast du schon Staub gesaugt? Have you vacuumed already? |
| tiefbewegen | tief bewegen | Er war tief bewegt. He was deeply moved. |
Prefix Exceptions
RULE: Some verb prefixes can have more than one meaning. (Note: The subtleties of these distinctions are often lost on even highly educated German-speakers, so I would not fret over these exceptions too much.) One way of explaining the difference is this: If the adjective/adverb prefix can be compared (good, better) in the meaning used, the prefix is separated. Example: platt machen = to roll/press flat (can be "flatter") versus plattmachen = to go bankrupt (can't be "more bankrupt").
In some cases these exceptions involve an adverb that is not used so much as a prefix but more as an adverb: wieder wählen = to vote again, have another election, versus wiederwählen = to re-elect.
| Exceptions - Ausnahmen Past Participle Examples |
|
| SEPARATE | TOGETHER |
| bereit- infinitive/past participle not separated |
bereitgehalten had/held ready |
| groß geschrieben gave importance to |
großgeschrieben capitalized |
| kalt gemacht made cold |
kaltgemacht killed, knocked off |
| platt gemacht rolled flat |
plattgemacht bankrupted |
| schlecht gemacht done poorly |
schlechtgemacht criticized, was critical of |
| wieder gewählt voted again |
wiedergewählt re-elected |
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Related Pages
Lesson 19
An introduction to separable-prefix verbs and their conjugation. Includes a brief look at inseparable prefixes as well. Part of our online German for Beginners course.
Verb-Lexikon
An alphabetical list of common German verbs, many with links to their conjugations.
German Verbs
An index of all of our German verb pages.
English-German Glossaries
All of the annotated glossaries on this site - from aerospace to travel.
German Grammar
All of the grammar resources on this site.
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