German Present Perfect – Inseparable Prefix Verbs

German Present Perfect Inseparable Prefix Verbs do not add the normal past participle prefix ge- in the perfect tenses. Examples: bekommen becomes hat bekommen.

Verbs with an inseparable prefix (nicht-trennbare Verben)

Some verbs have prefixes that do not separate from the verb, but remain with the verb stem when conjugated in the present tense.

Examples:

erklären               Sie hat die Lösung zum Problem erklärt.            (to explain)

bekommen          Ihr habt keine Geschenke bekommen.               (to receive/get)

verstehen            Die Kinder haben das nicht verstanden.             (to understand)

The more common inseparable prefixes are: be, emp, ent, er, ge, hinter, miss, ver, wider, zer.

There are regular, irregular, and mixed verbs containing inseparable prefixes.