Inseparable prefixes

Verbs like besuchen, verstehen and erklären have a prefix that always stays attached. They behave almost like normal verbs – except in the Perfekt.

By the Desi European Tales editorial team · Updated 1 November 2026

The eight inseparable prefixes

Some prefixes are never separated from their verb. There are only eight of them, so it is worth learning the list: be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ge-, miss-, ver-, zer-. A useful difference from separable verbs: the inseparable prefix is unstressed. You say be-SU-chen, ver-STE-hen, but AN-ru-fen.

Ich besuche am Wochenende meine Tante. – I'm visiting my aunt at the weekend.
Verstehen Sie mich? – Do you understand me?
Die Lehrerin erklärt die Aufgabe noch einmal. – The teacher explains the task again.
Ich empfehle dir das Restaurant am Markt. – I recommend the restaurant on the market square.

In the present tense, in questions and in commands, these verbs work exactly like simple verbs: the whole verb stays in position 2 (or 1), and nothing goes to the end.

No ge- in the Perfekt

The big difference shows up in the past participle: inseparable verbs take no ge-. Regular verbs end in -t, irregular ones in -en, as usual.

Infinitive	Participle	English
besuchen	hat besucht	visited
bezahlen	hat bezahlt	paid
bekommen	hat bekommen	got, received
verstehen	hat verstanden	understood
verkaufen	hat verkauft	sold
vergessen	hat vergessen	forgotten
erklären	hat erklärt	explained
erzählen	hat erzählt	told (a story)
empfehlen	hat empfohlen	recommended
gefallen	hat gefallen	pleased, liked
zerbrechen	ist zerbrochen	broken (into pieces)

Wir haben im Restaurant mit Karte bezahlt. – We paid by card in the restaurant.
Ich habe meinen Schlüssel vergessen. – I forgot my key.

With zu + infinitive, zu stands before the whole verb as a separate word: Es ist nicht leicht, alles zu verstehen.

How the prefix changes the meaning

The prefix often changes the meaning completely, so learn each verb as a new word:

kommen (to come) → bekommen (to get, to receive)
suchen (to look for) → besuchen (to visit)
stehen (to stand) → verstehen (to understand)
kaufen (to buy) → verkaufen (to sell)
zählen (to count) → erzählen (to tell)
fallen (to fall) → gefallen (to please): Die Wohnung gefällt mir.

Some prefixes have a typical meaning: zer- means broken into pieces (zerreißen, to tear up), miss- means wrongly (missverstehen, to misunderstand), and ent- often means away or removing (entfernen, to remove).

A false friend to watch

bekommen does not mean become. It means to get or to receive: Ich habe eine E-Mail bekommen. – I got an email. To become is werden: Ich möchte Krankenpfleger werden. – I'd like to become a nurse. Mixing them up leads to funny sentences – Ich bekomme einen Arzt means I'm getting a doctor, not I'm becoming a doctor.

Common mistakes

Not quite	Correct	Why
Wir haben das Auto geverkauft.	Wir haben das Auto verkauft.	Inseparable verbs take no ge- in the participle.
Ich suche dich morgen be.	Ich besuche dich morgen.	be- never separates: the whole verb stays in position 2.
Ich will Ingenieur bekommen.	Ich will Ingenieur werden.	bekommen means to get or receive; to become is werden.
Ich habe die Frage nicht geverstanden.	Ich habe die Frage nicht verstanden.	ver- is inseparable, so the participle has no ge-.

Practice questions

Practise it in the course

Back to the grammar reference or to the A2 lessons.

Sources

Original practice questions written by the Desi European Tales editorial team; they are not the official exam questions. Checked 1 November 2026.

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