Separable verbs

Many German verbs are a small word glued to the front of a normal verb: auf + stehen = aufstehen, to get up. In a main clause the glue comes undone — the verb conjugates in position 2 and the prefix drops to the very end.

Main clause: conjugated verb in position 2 · … everything else … · prefix at the end.

• Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.

  I get up at seven o’clock.

  stehe … auf

• Ich rufe meinen Freund an.

  I am calling my friend.

• Wir kaufen heute ein.

  We are shopping today.

• Kommst du mit?

  Are you coming along?

• Der Film fängt um acht Uhr an.

  The film starts at eight.

This is less exotic than it looks — English does it too. I pick my friend up. Same idea, and German is simply stricter about where the little word lands.

Now the part that surprises people: with a modal verb, the verb goes back together again. The infinitive sits at the end, whole and unsplit.

• Ich muss morgen früh aufstehen.

  I have to get up early tomorrow.

  whole infinitive at the end

• Ich will meine Frau anrufen.

  I want to call my wife.

• Kannst du heute einkaufen?

  Can you do the shopping today?

In the Perfekt, the ge- squeezes into the middle: auf + ge + standen. Verbs of movement still take sein.

• Ich bin heute früh aufgestanden.

  I got up early today.

• Wir haben gestern eingekauft.

  We did the shopping yesterday.

• Ich habe meinen Freund angerufen.

  I called my friend.