Many Dutch verbs have a small word at the front: opbellen (to phone), meenemen (to bring), uitgaan (to go out). That small word is a prefix. In these verbs the prefix can split off from the rest. That is why they are called separable.
Is a verb separable?
Say the verb out loud. Listen for the stress: the part you say loudest. If the stress is on the prefix, the verb is separable. Verbs with be-, ver-, ont-, ge- and her- never split.
Separable: stress at the front
- opbellen, aankomen, meenemen
- uitgaan, afspreken, opstaan
- invullen, terugkomen, voorstellen
Not separable: stress further on
- betalen (to pay), vergeten (to forget), ontmoeten (to meet)
- gebruiken (to use), herhalen (to repeat)
- These always stay whole: Ik betaal de rekening.
Split: in a normal sentence and a question
In a normal sentence the verb is in position 2. The prefix then goes to the end of the sentence. Questions work the same way.
| Verb | Sentence | English |
|---|---|---|
| opbellen | Mijn zus belt de bank op. | My sister phones the bank. |
| opstaan | Hij staat om zeven uur op. | He gets up at seven. |
| meenemen | Wij nemen ons paspoort mee. | We bring our passport. |
| aankomen | Wanneer komt de trein aan? | When does the train arrive? |
| opruimen | Ruim jij je bureau op? | Are you tidying your desk? |
Whole: with a second verb
Is there a verb like willen, kunnen, moeten, mogen or gaan in position 2? Then the separable verb stays whole at the end. You write it as one word: opbellen, meenemen.
- Ik wil mijn moeder opbellen.I want to phone my mother.
- Wij moeten warme kleren meenemen.We have to bring warm clothes.
- Mag ik u een koffie aanbieden?May I offer you a coffee?
- Ik ga morgen vroeg opstaan.I am going to get up early tomorrow.
In the perfect tense the verb stays whole too. The ge- part goes in the middle: Ik heb mijn moeder opgebeld (I have phoned my mother).
Whole: in a subordinate clause
A subordinate clause starts with a word like omdat (because), als (if, when) or dat (that). In this part of the sentence the verb goes to the end. A separable verb stays whole there. It still changes to match the subject.
| Subject | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| ik | ... omdat ik mijn moeder opbel. | ... because I phone my mother. |
| hij, zij, het | ... omdat het vliegtuig om tien uur aankomt. | ... because the plane arrives at ten. |
| wij, jullie, zij | ... als wij morgen iets afspreken. | ... if we arrange something tomorrow. |