Verb prefixes Flashcards
zurück-
back
weg-
away
aus-
out
mit-
with
weiter-
further, continue
nach-
later, after, towards
herein-
inside, in
miss-
dis-/miss-
e.g.
misstrust, disobey
fort-
away
vor-
before, in front of
wieder-
again
um-
around
durch-
through
the list of inseparable prefixes are:
be- emp- ent- er- ge- miss- ver- zer-
how does be- affect a verb as a prefix:
1) Makes intransitive verbs or verbs with prepositional objects transitive, or shifts the action to a different object.
zaubern - to do magic | bezaubern - to enchant
Ich beantworte die Frage. (Ich antworte auf die Frage.)
Er beschenkt Sie. ( Er schenkt Ihnen etwas.)
2) Added to nouns to create verbs with the idea of providing something. (Often -ig- is added.)
die Nachricht message | benachrichtigen to notify
die Waffe weapon | bewaffnen to arm
3) Added to adjectives to create verbs with the idea of bestowing that quality. (Often -ig- is added.)
ruhig quiet, still | beruhigen to calm
taub numb | betäuben to numb, drug
trüb dreary | betrüben to sadden
how does emp- affect a verb as a prefix:
A variation of ent- that is used before some verb roots beginning with f.
fehlen to be lacking | empfehlen to recommend
finden to find | empfinden to perceive, sense
how does ent- affect a verb as a prefix?
1) Added to verbs to convey the idea of escaping or moving away. fliehen to flee | entfliehen to escape, flee (from)
kommen to come | entkommen to escape, come away (from)
2) Creates verbs from nouns, adjectives, or verbs. Indicates the removal of something.
ent- often corresponds to English un-, de- or dis-. laden to load | entladen to unload
decken to cover | entdecken to discover
fern far | entfernen to remove, delete
die Fessel chain | entfesseln to unchain
how does er- affect a verb as a prefix?
1) Creates verbs from nouns or other verbs. Conveys the conclusion or end achievement of an action. finden to find | erfinden to invent
lernen to learn | erlernen to learn, acquire
trinken to drink | ertrinken to drown
2) Creates verbs from adjectives. Conveys the idea of becoming something or giving something a quality. Often adds an umlaut to the root, where possible. ganz whole | ergänzen to complete
niedrig low | erniedrigen to humiliate
neu new | erneuern to renew, revive
how does ge- affect a verb as a prefix?
ge- is rare as a verb prefix. It carries no distinct meaning. In many instances, the root verb is linguistically extinct. fallen to fall | gefallen to be pleasing
- – | geschehen to occur
- – | gelingen to succeed
how does miss- affect a verb as a prefix?
Like the English prefix mis-, the German miss- indicates failure. It creates a verb that stands as a negative opposite to its positive or neutral root. – | misslingen to fail
fallen to fall | missfallen to displease
billigen to approve | missbilligen to disapprove
handeln to act | misshandeln to maltreat, abuse
how does ver- affect a verb as a prefix?
1) Added to verbs to express idea of completion, waning, or going away. brennen to burn | verbrennen burn (to ashes, to death), scorch
hungern to be hungry | verhungern to starve
geben to give | vergeben to give away
jagen to hunt | verjagen to chase away
2) Added to verbs to express the idea of doing something to excess or wrongly, or to convey the opposite meaning from its root. lernen to learn | verlernen to unlearn, forget
führen to lead | verführen to seduce
achten to esteem | verachten to despise
bergen to salvage | verbergen to conceal, hide
3) Creates verbs from adjectives or nouns that convey the idea of becoming something or giving something a quality. Deutsch | verdeutschen to translate into German
der Stein stone | versteinern to turn to stone
die Ursache cause | verursachen to cause
einfach simple | vereinfachen to simplify
deutlich clear | verdeutlichen to elucidate
4) Creates verbs from nouns to convey the idea of providing something. das Silber silver | versilbern to silver plate
der Körper body | verkörpern to embody
how does zer- affect a verb as a prefix?
Creates verbs from nouns, adjectives, or other verbs to indicate destruction, usually “into pieces”. das Glied member, limb | zergliedern to dismember
klein small | zerkleinern to reduce to small bits
stören to bother | zerstören to destroy
teilen to divide | zerteilen to disperse
the list of separable prefixes are:
ab- an- auf- aus- ein- los- mit- vor- weg- zurück zusammen-
how does ab- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “away”, “down”, “off”, with the idea of finishing or completing an action
fliegen to fly | abfliegen to depart (of airplane)
nehmen to take | abnehmen to take down/off
how does an- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “at”, “on”, or the idea of starting an action or doing something partially. lächeln to smile | anlächeln to smile at
schauen to look | anschauen to look at
probieren to try | anprobieren to try on
tasten to touch | antasten to touch on
trinken to drink | antrinken to start drinking
how does auf- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “up” or the idea of a sudden start klären- to clarify | aufklären to clear up
essen to eat | aufessen to eat up
munter lively | aufmuntern to liven up
brechen to break | aufbrechen to break open, to set out (on a trip)
how does aus- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “out” with the idea of completing an action gleichen to equal | ausgleichen to even out
rufen to call | ausrufen to cry out
radieren to erase | ausradieren to erase (completely)
how does ein- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Derived from the preposition “in”. Conveys “in” or the idea of getting used to something atmen to breathe | einatmen to inhale
leiten to lead | einleiten to introduce
spielen to play | einspielen to warm up
how does los- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “away” or the idea of beginning something fahren to drive | losfahren to set out (on a trip)
reißen to rip | losreißen to tear away
werden to become | loswerden to get rid of
how does mit- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “along”, “away”, or the idea of accompanying or cooperating nehmen to take | mitnehmen to take along
singen to sing | mitsingen to join in singing
machen to do | mitmachen to participate
how does vor- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys the idea of demonstrating, going forward, or preceding schreiben to write | vorschreiben to stipulate
singen to sing | vorsingen to sing to
wärmen to warm | vorwärmen to preheat
how does weg- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “away” schicken to send | wegschicken to send away
führen to lead | wegführen to lead away
how does zurück- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “back”, the idea of returning denken to think | zurückdenken to think back
reisen to travel | zurückreisen to travel back
how does zusammen- affect a verb as a separable prefix?
Conveys “up” or “together”, the idea of reducing to a focal point schrumpfen to shrink | zusammenschrumpfen to shrivel up
kleben to adhere | zusammenkleben to stick together
brechen to break | zusammenbrechen to collapse, cave in
the list of prefixes that are both inseparable and separable are:
durch-, über-, um-, unter-, wider
how does durch- affect a verb as a prefix?
Most compounds with the durch- prefix are either separable or exist in both forms. Means ‘through’, ‘without interruption’, or indicates the conquering of obstacles or denotes completion
inseperable:
durchleben to experience
durchdenken to think over
Ich habe es nicht richtig durchdacht.
separable:
durchschlafen to sleep uninterrupted
durchfallen to fall through; fail
Er ist in der Prüfung durchgefallen.
how does über- affect a verb as a prefix?
About 75% of verbs with the über- prefix are inseparable. Usually combined with transitive verbs, indicates ‘over’, ‘up’, or movement over a boundary.
inseparable:
übersetzen to translate
übermalen to paint over
Die Grafittis übermalen wir mit grauer Farbe.
separable:
überordnen to give precedence to
überkochen to boil over
Die Kartoffeln kochen über.
how does um- affect a verb as a prefix?
um- is equally frequent as a separable and an inseparable prefix. Means ‘around’, or indicates movement in a different/opposite direction or to a different side, or a change of some kind.
inseparable: umgeben to surround umgehen to go around umarmen to embrace Wir umarmen uns.
separable: umschulen to retrain umwenden to turn over umsteigen to change (buses, etc.) Wir steigen in Köln um.
how does unter- affect a verb as a prefix?
unter- is equally frequent as a separable and an inseparable prefix. It is almost always transitive or reflexive. Means ‘under’, ‘among’ and can imply ‘at the bottom of a text’. In a few words, the meaning is indistinct.
inseparable: unterschreiben to sign unterdrücken to suppress unterschätzen to underestimate Der Lehrer unterschätzt ihre Intelligenz.
separable: unterkommen to find accomodation untertauchen to submerge untergehen to sink Die Sonne geht unter.
how does wider- affect a verb as a prefix?
With a few exceptions, most verbs with the prefix wider- are separable. Means ‘against’, ‘toward’, or ‘back’.
inseparable:
widersprechen to contradict
widerrufen to take back, revoke
Der Angeklagte widerruft sein Geständnis.
separable:
widerhallen to echo, reverberate
widerspiegeln to reflect
Kunst spiegelt den Zeitgeist wider
in terms of pronouciation, separable prefixes are ……….., inseparable ……………..
separable prefixes are stressed, inseparable unstressed.
