Today's words · 🔀 Separable verbs 2
Separable verbs, round two: 10 that split in half
A1A2
These are the verbs you only understand once the sentence is over — let's tame them today.
On the tram, an announcement says "Bitte hier umsteigen…" and a friend says "Mach mal das Fenster auf!" — and you only realise she means ‘open the window’ when you hear the auf at the very end. German loves hiding the key piece at the end of the sentence.
Today's ten separable verbs are ones you'll use every day at home and on public transport. With them you can open and close, switch on and off, and get on, off and change. 🔀
📋 The ten words at a glance
- aufmachen — to open
- zumachen — to close, to shut
- anmachen — to switch on, turn on
- ausmachen — to switch off; to arrange (a date)
- einsteigen — to get on, board
- aussteigen — to get off, get out (of a vehicle)
- umsteigen — to change (trains, buses), to transfer
- abholen — to collect, pick up (sth. or sb.)
- mitnehmen — to take along, take away
- zurückkommen — to come back, return
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
aufmachen
[OWF-makh-en]to open(macht auf – hat aufgemacht)
📌 Mach bitte das Fenster auf!
→ Please open the window!
💡 auf (open) + machen (to make) = to make something open 🚪 Think ‘open up’.
Bonus A slightly more formal word for it = öffnen
zumachen
[TSOO-makh-en]to close, to shut(macht zu – hat zugemacht)
📌 Mach die Tür zu, es zieht!
→ Close the door, there's a draft!
💡 zu (closed) + machen = to make something shut 🔒 The partner of aufmachen.
Bonus Shops use it too: Der Laden macht um 20 Uhr zu.
anmachen
[AN-makh-en]to switch on, turn on(macht an – hat angemacht)
📌 Mach bitte das Licht an!
→ Please turn the light on!
💡 an (on) + machen = to switch on 💡 English on = German an.
⚠ Used about a person, it colloquially means ‘to chat up’: Er macht sie an. Careful!
ausmachen
[OWS-makh-en]to switch off; to arrange (a date)(macht aus – hat ausgemacht)
📌 Mach bitte den Fernseher aus.
→ Please turn the TV off.
💡 aus (off) + machen = to switch off 📴 English off = German aus.
Bonus It also means to arrange: einen Termin ausmachen · Do you mind? = Macht es dir etwas aus?
einsteigen
[INE-shty-gen]to get on, board(steigt ein – ist eingestiegen)
📌 Bitte schnell einsteigen!
→ Please get on quickly!
💡 ein (in) + steigen (to climb) = climbing up the steps into the bus 🚌
⚠ Perfect with sein: Ich bin eingestiegen. · in + accusative: in den Bus einsteigen
aussteigen
[OWS-shty-gen]to get off, get out (of a vehicle)(steigt aus – ist ausgestiegen)
📌 Wir müssen an der nächsten Haltestelle aussteigen.
→ We need to get off at the next stop.
💡 aus (out) + steigen = stepping out 🚏 Learn ein and aus as a pair.
⚠ Perfect with sein: Ich bin ausgestiegen.
umsteigen
[OOM-shty-gen]to change (trains, buses), to transfer(steigt um – ist umgestiegen)
📌 In Frankfurt müssen Sie umsteigen.
→ You have to change in Frankfurt.
💡 um (change) + steigen = to change trains 🔄 The um in umziehen (to move house) also means change.
⚠ Perfect with sein: Wir sind in Köln umgestiegen.
abholen
[AP-hoh-len]to collect, pick up (sth. or sb.)(holt ab – hat abgeholt)
📌 Ich muss noch ein Paket bei der Post abholen.
→ I still have to pick up a parcel from the post office.
💡 ab + holen (to fetch) = go and fetch 📦 Parcels and people both get abgeholt.
Bonus I'll pick you up = Ich hole dich ab.
mitnehmen
[MIT-nay-men]to take along, take away(nimmt mit – hat mitgenommen)
📌 Zum Mitnehmen oder hier essen?
→ To take away or to eat in?
💡 mit (with) + nehmen (to take) = take along 🥡 You'll hear it in every café.
Bonus To take away? = Zum Mitnehmen? · To eat in = Zum Hieressen.
zurückkommen
[tsoo-RUEK-kom-en]to come back, return(kommt zurück – ist zurückgekommen)
📌 Wann kommst du zurück?
→ When are you coming back?
💡 zurück (back) + kommen (to come) = to come back 🏃 Stress the RÜCK.
⚠ Perfect with sein: Er ist gestern zurückgekommen.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
On German public transport you hear separable verbs all day long. After "Nächster Halt …" you might hear "Ausstieg in Fahrtrichtung links" (exit on the left in the direction of travel), and stations are full of announcements about where to umsteigen.
In many cities, tram and train doors don't open by themselves. Often you have to press the button on the door, so don't just stand there waiting when it's your stop!
Parcels bring separable verbs too. If you're out, you'll often find a card in your letterbox telling you to abholen the parcel from a neighbour or a local collection point. Neighbours taking in each other's parcels is completely normal in Germany. 📦
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Which sentence correctly says "I'll pick you up at the station at six"?
- ① Ich hole dich um sechs am Bahnhof ab.
- ② Ich abhole dich um sechs am Bahnhof.
- ③ Ich habe dich um sechs am Bahnhof abgeholen.
Show the answer
① Ich hole dich um sechs am Bahnhof ab.
In the present tense the prefix ab jumps to the end of the sentence, and the past participle is abgeholt.
Every time you switch a light on or off today, say it out loud. Ich mache das Licht an… und wieder aus! 💡
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🪞 Reflexive verbs