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.