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Separable Verbs (Trennbare Verben)
The prefix jumps to the end of the sentence — but the case never changes because of that. Lots of examples, organized by case.
What makes a verb separable?
A trennbares Verb is built from a small prefix + a base verb: aufstehen, anrufen, einkaufen. In the present tense, the prefix separates from the verb and jumps to the very end of the sentence — the conjugated part stays in position 2.
You can hear it: the prefix is always stressed — AUFstehen, ANrufen, EINkaufen. If the stress is on the prefix, the verb is separable.
This page assumes you already know that basic pattern (covered on Verbs: Conjugation (2), along with how separable verbs behave with modal verbs, questions, and imperatives). Here the focus is different: a lot of examples, organized by which case the verb hands out — because that's the part students actually get stuck on. The separation is just word order; the case comes from the verb itself, exactly as if it weren't separable at all.
You can hear it: the prefix is always stressed — AUFstehen, ANrufen, EINkaufen. If the stress is on the prefix, the verb is separable.
This page assumes you already know that basic pattern (covered on Verbs: Conjugation (2), along with how separable verbs behave with modal verbs, questions, and imperatives). Here the focus is different: a lot of examples, organized by which case the verb hands out — because that's the part students actually get stuck on. The separation is just word order; the case comes from the verb itself, exactly as if it weren't separable at all.
The subject stays Nominativ
Before looking at objects, a quick reminder: no matter how the sentence is arranged, the subject — the thing doing the action — is always Nominativ. Separating the prefix never touches the subject.
Der Bus fährt gleich ab.
The bus is leaving soon.
abfahren = to depart. der Bus (maskulin) is the subject — Nominativ, unaffected by the separated ab at the end.
Die Sonne geht auf.
The sun is rising.
aufgehen = to rise (sun). die Sonne (feminin) is the subject.
Das Meeting fängt gleich an.
The meeting is starting soon.
anfangen = to begin. das Meeting (neutrum) is the subject.
Die Kinder wachen auf.
The children are waking up.
aufwachen = to wake up. die Kinder (plural) is the subject.
Separable verbs with an Akkusativ object
Most separable verbs work exactly like their non-separable cousins: whoever/whatever receives the action is the direct object, in Akkusativ. The prefix at the end doesn't change that one bit.
Ich rufe den Kunden an.
I'm calling the customer.
anrufen = to call (phone), + Akkusativ. der Kunde (maskulin) is a weak noun — it adds -n in every case but Nominativ: den Kunden. See Akkusativ.
Wir laden die Nachbarin ein.
We're inviting the (female) neighbor.
einladen = to invite, + Akkusativ. die Nachbarin (feminin) stays "die" in Akkusativ — only maskulin changes.
Er holt das Paket ab.
He's picking up the package.
abholen = to pick up, + Akkusativ. das Paket (neutrum) stays "das" — neuter never changes in Akkusativ.
Sie nehmen die Kinder mit.
They're taking the children along.
mitnehmen = to take along, + Akkusativ. die Kinder (plural) stays "die" — plural is identical to Nominativ in Akkusativ.
Das Licht brennt noch, aber ich mache es gleich aus.
The light is still on, but I'll turn it off soon.
ausmachen = to turn off, + Akkusativ. Here the object is a pronoun: es stands in for das Licht (neutrum), so it's "es" not "ihn/sie".
Ich lerne den neuen Kollegen kennen.
I'm getting to know the new colleague.
kennenlernen = to get to know/meet, + Akkusativ. Another weak noun: der Kollege → den Kollegen. Notice the verb itself is unusual — "kennen" is the part that separates, while "lernen" stays conjugated in position 2.
Separable verbs with a Dativ object
A smaller group of separable verbs govern Dativ instead. Notice that the base verbs alone (hören, sehen) actually take Akkusativ — it's the prefix zu- that changes things, carrying the same "toward a person" meaning as the preposition zu + Dativ. Learn the whole separable verb as a Dativ verb; there's no shortcut to guessing them from the base verb.
Die Schüler hören dem Lehrer zu.
The students are listening to the teacher.
zuhören = to listen to, + Dativ. der Lehrer (maskulin) → dem Lehrer in Dativ (der → dem).
Sie lächelt dem Baby zu.
She smiles at the baby.
zulächeln = to smile at, + Dativ. das Baby (neutrum) → dem Baby in Dativ (das → dem).
Er winkt der Frau zu.
He waves at the woman.
zuwinken = to wave at, + Dativ. die Frau (feminin) → der Frau in Dativ (die → der).
Wir sehen den Kindern zu.
We're watching the children.
zusehen = to watch, + Dativ. die Kinder (plural) → den Kindern in Dativ — the classic Dativ-plural -n (Kinder already ends in -er, so it just adds -n).
Der Kopf tut mir weh.
My head hurts.
wehtun = to hurt (someone), + Dativ. Here the Dativ object is a pronoun: mir = to me. Literally "the head does hurt to me" — German expresses pain as something a body part does to a person.
Two objects together — Dativ and Akkusativ
Some separable verbs take two objects at once: who receives something (Dativ) and what they receive (Akkusativ). This is exactly the kind of sentence where students lose track of which word is which — so let's slow down. The rule for word order: when both objects are nouns, Dativ comes before Akkusativ.
Ich bringe dir ein Geschenk mit.
I'm bringing you a present.
mitbringen = to bring along (for someone). dir = to you (Dativ — who receives it). ein Geschenk (neutrum) = a present (Akkusativ — what is brought). Dativ pronoun, then the Akkusativ noun.
Er gibt mir das Buch zurück.
He's giving me the book back.
zurückgeben = to give back. mir = to me (Dativ). das Buch (neutrum) stays "das" in Akkusativ.
Sie liest den Kindern eine Geschichte vor.
She's reading the children a story.
vorlesen = to read aloud (to someone). den Kindern (plural, Dativ-plural -n) = to the children. eine Geschichte (feminin) = a story (Akkusativ — feminin doesn't change). Two noun objects: Dativ noun first, then the Akkusativ noun.
Ich teile meinem Chef die Neuigkeit mit.
I'm informing my boss of the news.
mitteilen = to inform/tell (someone something). meinem Chef (maskulin) = to my boss (Dativ). die Neuigkeit (feminin, ends in -keit — always feminin, see Guessing Genders) = the news (Akkusativ).
Der Kellner bietet uns die Karte an.
The waiter offers us the menu.
anbieten = to offer. uns = to us (Dativ pronoun). die Karte (feminin) = the menu (Akkusativ).
Die Mutter nimmt dem Kind das Spielzeug weg.
The mother takes the toy away from the child.
wegnehmen = to take away (from someone). dem Kind (neutrum) = from the child (Dativ — the one losing it). das Spielzeug (neutrum) = the toy (Akkusativ — the thing taken). Two neuter nouns, two different cases: only the article tells them apart.
When a pronoun gets involved, the order flips
Noun + noun: Dativ before Akkusativ — Ich teile meinem Chef die Neuigkeit mit.
Replace the present itself with a pronoun and the order stays Dativ-pronoun, then Akkusativ-noun — Ich bringe dir ein Geschenk mit. (a pronoun always jumps ahead of a noun, regardless of its case)
But if both objects are pronouns, it flips: Akkusativ before Dativ — Ich bringe es dir mit. ("es" = the present, standing in for "ein Geschenk")
Separable verbs with two-way prepositions
Many separable verbs of motion pair with a two-way preposition (in, an, auf...). The same logic from Two-Way Prepositions applies: movement toward a place (Wohin?) takes Akkusativ, and being located at a place (Wo?) takes Dativ.
Er steigt in den Bus ein.
He's getting on the bus.
einsteigen = to get on/board. He's moving into the bus — a direction (Wohin?), so "in" takes Akkusativ: in den Bus.
Wir steigen in die U-Bahn um.
We're transferring to the subway.
umsteigen = to change/transfer (trains, buses...). Again a direction — moving into the U-Bahn — so Akkusativ: in die U-Bahn (feminin unchanged).
Wir kommen im Hotel an.
We're arriving at the hotel.
ankommen = to arrive. Once you arrive, you simply are at/inside the hotel — a location (Wo?), so "in" takes Dativ: im (= in + dem) Hotel.
Wir kommen an der Kirche vorbei.
We're passing by the church.
vorbeikommen = to pass by / stop by. "An" here marks a location you move alongside, not into — treated as Dativ: an der Kirche.
Separable verbs in the Perfekt
In the Perfekt (past tense), a separable verb does not split apart. Instead, the participle marker ge- is inserted between the prefix and the stem, and the whole thing stays together as one word at the end of the sentence: auf + ge + standen = aufgestanden.
Ich bin um sieben aufgestanden.
I got up at seven.
aufstehen → auf + ge + standen = aufgestanden. Uses sein (a change of state/position).
Ich habe den Kunden angerufen.
I called the customer.
anrufen → an + ge + rufen = angerufen. Uses haben. Notice the Akkusativ object (den Kunden) works exactly the same as in the present tense.
Wir haben im Supermarkt eingekauft.
We shopped at the supermarket.
einkaufen → ein + ge + kauft = eingekauft. Uses haben.
Er hat mir Blumen mitgebracht.
He brought me flowers.
mitbringen → mit + ge + bracht = mitgebracht (bringen has an irregular participle: gebracht, not "gebringt"). mir = to me (Dativ), Blumen = flowers (Akkusativ, plural with no article) — the two-object pattern still holds in the Perfekt.
Quick reference — verb, case, example
| Verb | Case | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| anrufen | Akkusativ | jemanden anrufen |
| einladen | Akkusativ | jemanden einladen |
| abholen | Akkusativ | etwas/jemanden abholen |
| mitnehmen | Akkusativ | etwas/jemanden mitnehmen |
| ausmachen | Akkusativ | etwas ausmachen |
| kennenlernen | Akkusativ | jemanden kennenlernen |
| zuhören | Dativ | jemandem zuhören |
| zusehen | Dativ | jemandem zusehen |
| zuwinken | Dativ | jemandem zuwinken |
| zulächeln | Dativ | jemandem zulächeln |
| wehtun | Dativ | jemandem wehtun |
| mitbringen | Dativ + Akkusativ | jemandem etwas mitbringen |
| zurückgeben | Dativ + Akkusativ | jemandem etwas zurückgeben |
| vorlesen | Dativ + Akkusativ | jemandem etwas vorlesen |
| mitteilen | Dativ + Akkusativ | jemandem etwas mitteilen |
| anbieten | Dativ + Akkusativ | jemandem etwas anbieten |
| wegnehmen | Dativ + Akkusativ | jemandem etwas wegnehmen |
| einsteigen | in + Akkusativ | in etwas einsteigen |
| umsteigen | in + Akkusativ | in etwas umsteigen |
| ankommen | in + Dativ | in etwas ankommen |
| vorbeikommen | an + Dativ | an etwas vorbeikommen |
Key patterns to remember
The case comes from the verb, not the separation
Whether a verb is separable or not has nothing to do with which case it takes. Separation only affects word order — the prefix moves to the end. The case is decided the same way it always is: by the verb's meaning (anrufen always wants Akkusativ; zuhören always wants Dativ), or by whether a paired preposition marks direction or location.
Two objects: Dativ noun before Akkusativ noun
With verbs like mitbringen, vorlesen, or anbieten: two nouns go Dativ → Akkusativ. Two pronouns go Akkusativ → Dativ. A pronoun always jumps ahead of a noun.
Perfekt: ge- slots between the prefix and the stem
aufgestanden, angerufen, eingekauft, mitgebracht — never "geaufstanden" or "aufstandenge". The prefix leads, then ge-, then the participle.
Related
- Verbs: Conjugation (2) — the core separable-verb pattern, plus modal verbs, questions, and imperatives
- Perfekt (Past Tense) — how haben/sein and past participles work in general
- Two-Way Prepositions — the Wo?/Wohin? logic behind einsteigen, ankommen, and friends
- Dativ · Akkusativ — the case systems these verbs plug into
- Worked Examples — more full-sentence case analysis
- Imperative — how separable prefixes behave in commands
- Reflexive Verbs — sich anziehen and other separable reflexive verbs