German Separable Verbs — Why They Split in Two
After this lesson you can use aufstehen, einkaufen and anrufen without losing the prefix.
Do this first: Verb position
German Separable Verbs — Why They Split in Two
Some German verbs split in two: the verb stays in second place and its prefix flies to the end of the sentence. It is why aufstehen appears as stehe … auf.
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Kulturnotiz
Separable verbs are why German train announcements sound so suspenseful: "Der ICE 574 nach Hamburg-Altona fährt heute von Gleis 12 …ab." The crucial word — whether the train is departing (ab), arriving (an) or being cancelled — lands right at the end. Regular commuters listen for that final syllable and nothing else.
Common questions
+How do I know if a verb is separable?
By its prefix and its stress. Separable prefixes (auf-, an-, ein-, aus-, mit-, ab-, zu-) are stressed: AUFstehen. Inseparable ones (be-, ver-, er-, ent-, ge-) are not: verSTEHEN — and those never split.
+Where exactly does the prefix go?
The very end of the clause, after everything else. Ich rufe dich morgen nach der Arbeit an — the an waits until the end regardless of how long the sentence gets.
+What happens in a subordinate clause?
The verb goes to the end anyway (lesson 13), so the prefix reattaches and the verb is written as one word: weil ich früh aufstehe.
+Is this like English phrasal verbs?
Very much so — "pick up", "turn off", "call back". The difference is that English lets you keep them together or split them; German requires the split in a main clause.