A2-9 · Prefixes that stay attached

Housework

Talk about chores with inseparable be-, ver- and er- verbs in the present and Perfekt.

About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions

Two flatmates clean a kitchen together, one using a cloth and the other explaining a cleaning schedule.

Share the chores

Ada and Nils divide the housework. Many verbs begin with be-, ver- or er-. These prefixes stay attached when you use the verb in a main clause. The endings change with the subject as usual.

Ich benutze einen Schwamm.

I use a sponge.

Wir verteilen die Aufgaben.

We divide up the tasks.

Nils erklärt den Putzplan.

Nils explains the cleaning schedule.

Ada bezahlt die Putzmittel.

Ada pays for the cleaning products.

Benutzen means to use, verteilen means to distribute and erklären means to explain. Say ich benutze, wir verteilen, Nils erklärt. Do not move be-, ver- or er- to the end of the sentence.

Say what you have done

The flatmates compare their finished tasks. These verbs form their participles without ge-. For these regular verbs, keep the prefix and add -t to the stem: benutzt, verteilt, erklärt and bezahlt.

Ich habe den Schwamm benutzt.

I used the sponge.

Wir haben die Aufgaben verteilt.

We divided up the tasks.

Nils hat den Putzplan erklärt.

Nils explained the cleaning schedule.

Ada hat die Putzmittel bezahlt.

Ada paid for the cleaning products.

Use haben with these four participles. The participle goes at the end: Ich habe den Schwamm benutzt. Compare the ordinary spielen → gespielt pattern with benutzen → benutzt.

Something is still missing

Housework does not always go to plan. Vergessen and verstehen also keep ver-, but their participles are irregular. They still have no added ge-. Erledigen is useful for saying that a task is done.

Ich habe die Wäsche vergessen.

I forgot the laundry.

Hast du den Putzplan verstanden?

Did you understand the cleaning schedule?

Wir haben die Hausarbeit erledigt.

We finished the housework.

Ich erledige die Wäsche morgen.

I will do the laundry tomorrow.

Learn vergessen → vergessen and verstehen → verstanden as whole pairs. The ge inside vergessen belongs to the verb itself. Erledigen is regular: erledigt. Benutzen means using something; erledigen means completing a task.

Ready to try it?

Check what you remember with 12 short questions.