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