untrennbares

Untrennbares is a term used in German grammar to describe a group of verbs that are formed with inseparable prefixes. The prefix attaches to the verb to form a single lexical unit, and in normal conjugation the prefix is not separated from the verb. These prefixes often modify the meaning of the verb in a way that is not easily predictable from the base verb alone.

Common untrennbare prefixes include be-, emp-, ent-, er-, ver- and zer-. Verbs with these prefixes typically change their meaning in ways such as intensification, direction, or completion, and the prefix remains attached in all tenses and moods. The exact semantic effects vary by verb and are often lexicalized rather than derivable from a general rule.

Untrennbare verbs are contrasted with separable-prefix verbs, where the prefix can detach from the verb in main clauses (for example, aufstehen → steht... auf). Inseparable prefixes therefore do not split in the conjugation or in perfect constructions; the prefix stays with the verb and the participle forms reflect the inseparable unit.

Examples:

- beantworten (to answer) — Ich beantworte die Frage. Ich habe die Frage beantwortet.

- bearbeiten (to edit/process) — Wir bearbeiten das Dokument. Wir haben das Dokument bearbeitet.

- empfangen (to receive) — Ich habe einen Brief empfangen.

- entkommen (to escape) — Der Gefangene ist entkommen.

- verstehen (to understand) — Ich verstehe dich. Wir haben verstanden.

- verarbeiten (to process) — Wir verarbeiten die Daten. Wir haben die Daten verarbeitet.

- zerbrechen (to break apart) — Das Glas ist zerbrochen.

In linguistics, untrennbare Präfixe are a standard category for describing how German verbs form meaning through prefixes that do not detach during syntactic processes.