6th June, 2009

#German sentence structure: separable verbs

posted 2 years ago

#grammar

The other day, I wrote a post that dealt with the structure of sentences that include two verbs or two verb parts. I decided to delete it again, cause it was a bit confusing - sorry. Instead, I want to divide it into smaller posts that are clearer to understand.

Today I wanna introduce you to German seperable-prefix verbs. In the infinitive, the prefix is attached to the base form of the verb. However, in the present tense, questions and in imperative forms, the seperable prefix is in the last position.

Example:

aufstehen = (to) get up

Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf. I get up at 7am.

Wann stehst du auf? When do you get up?

Steh auf! Get up!

In spoken German, the stress falls on the prefix. AUFstehen. EINkaufen. VORbereiten etc.

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