Inseparable Prefixes

Front 1

be-

Back 1

As in English (e.g. to belittle, besmirch, beknight, beget, bespeak, etc.), "be-" makes a verb directly transitive.

bearbeiten to work on; to rework

begehen (beging, begangen) to commit (an act)

beheizen to heat

Front 2

ent-

(part 1)

Back 2

"ent-" has several meanings:

1) To begin or enter into an activity:

entstehen (entstand, ist entstanden) to come into existence, originate, arise

entleeren to empty

Front 3

ent-

(part 2a)

Back 3

2a) To separate or remove:

entfernen to remove

entdecken to discover

entgehen, entging, ist entgangen to escape; to evade

entkommen (entkam, ist entkommen) to escape from; elude

Front 4

ent-

(part 2b)

Back 4

2b) This separation can also indicate a careful or systematic process:

entfalten to develop, unfold

entwerfen (entwarf, entworfen [entwirft]) to design, to sketch out (literally: to throw apart)

entwickeln to develop; to unravel

Front 5

emp-

Back 5

"emp-" is an old prefix now found only with a few verb stems beginning with "f-":

empfangen (empfing, empfangen [empfängt]) to receive; to conceive (a child)

empfehlen (empfahl, empfohlen [empfiehlt]) to recommend

Front 6

er-

Back 6

"er-" tends to indicate an action that is complete, analogous to the English "up":

erforschen to fathom; to explore; to research

erreichen to reach, to get to

erfahren (erfuhr, erfahren [erfährt]) to find out, learn; to experience

Front 7

ge-

Back 7

The meaning of "ge-" is no longer clear, but it shows up in many verbs, including some whose stem has faded from use:

gedeihen (gedieh, ist gediehen) to flourish/prosper

gehören to belong to

gewinnen (gewann, gewonnen) to win; to gain

Front 8

hinter-

Back 8

"hinter-" means "behind," but it can also indicate some sort of subterfuge:

hinterbringen (hinterbrachte, hinterbracht) to inform confidentially

hintergehen (hinterging, hintergangen) to deceive

hinterlassen (hinterließ, hinterlassen [hinterlässt]) to bequeath; to leave behind

Front 9

miss-

Back 9

"miss-" indicates going wrong:

missbrauchen to misuse; to abuse

misslingen (misslang, misslungen) to fail (at), be unsuccessful (in)

missverstehen (missverstand, missverstanden) to misunderstand

Front 10

wider-

Back 10

"wider-" conveys the sense of "against" or "back":

widerlegen to refute; to disprove

widerrufen (widerrief, widerrufen) to recant; to retract

widerstehen (widerstand, widerstanden) to resist; to withstand

Front 11

ver-

Back 11

"ver-" has a great many meanings.

"ver-" can make things worse: "hungern" (to be hungry; to fast) - "verhungern" (to starve to death); "komplizieren" (to complicate) -"verkomplizieren" (to thoroughly complicate); "zweifeln" (to doubt) - verzweifeln (to despair).

"ver-" can reverse a process: "kaufen" (to buy) - "verkaufen" (to sell); "mieten" (to rent, to pay rent for) - "vermieten" (to let, to rent out)

"sich ver-" can mean to do something the wrong way:

Ich habe mich verschluckt. I swallowed (something) the wrong way.

Du hast dich wohl verrechnet. You probably miscalculated.

sich verlaufen (verlief, verlaufen [verläuft]) to get lost (walking)

"ver-" plus a comparative adjective indicates bringing about that change:

verarmen to become impoverished

verdeutschen to translate into Germen

vereinfachen to simplify

"ver-", when added to a noun, can create a verb that indicates using the noun to carry out a process: verkorken (to cork [a bottle]); vergiften (to poison); vergolden (to gild); vertonen (to set to music).

Like "be-", "ver-" can make an intransitive verb transitive: verfluchen (to curse); verlachen (to deride); verspotten (to mock).

Like "er-", "ver-" can suggest that a process is carried out beyond a particular point or to its conclusion:

verbleiben to stay or remain (permanently or after some other change)

verbüßen to serve out (a punishment)

verhelfen (verhalf, verholfen [verhilft]) to aid; to help to accomplish

verlesen (verlas, verlesen [verlässt]) to read out

versenken to sink (something) completely, irrevocably [as opposed to "senken" (to lower)]

Front 12

zer-

Back 12

"zer-" dennotes a breaking into pieces:

zerbrechen (zerbrach, zerbrochen [zerbricht]) to break into pieces; to shatter

zerfließen (zerfloss, zerflossen) to dissolve; to melt away

zerreißen (zerriss, zerissen) to tear up

zerstören to destroy

Front 13

ge-

(part 2)

Back 13

ge- can also be used to form collective nouns:

das Geschenk / die Geschenke gift

Front 14

un-

Back 14

The Prefix "un-" with Adjectives, Adverbs, and Nouns

Just as in English, the prefx "un-" can be used to reverse the meaning of an adjective or adverb, denoting the lack of the indicated quality:

"unbedeutend" (insignificant); "ungefährlich" (not dangerous); "ungleich" (unequal); "uninteressant" (uninteresting); "unmenschlich" (inhuman); "unschuldig" (not guilty; innocent); "unvollständig" (incomplete); "unwichtig" (unimportant); "unzufrieden" (dissatisfied).