B2-58 · Guess verb meanings from ent-, er-, zer- and ver-
Internet culture
Use the inseparable prefixes ent-, er-, zer- and ver- to recognise and choose verbs about memes and online communities.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
ver-: changing, vanishing, going wrong
The prefixes ent-, er-, zer- and ver- are never separated from their verb, and their participles have no ge-: verbreitet, verschwunden. Each prefix carries a typical meaning. Ver- often marks a change (verbreiten, to spread) or something going away (verschwinden, to disappear), and with sich it can mean doing something wrong: sich vertippen, to make a typo.
| Typical meaning | Prefix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| removal, undoing, beginning | ent- | entfernen, entsperren, entstehen |
| result, achievement, creation | er- | erreichen, erstellen, erfinden |
| into pieces, destruction | zer- | zerreißen, zerstören, zerreden |
| change, going away, doing wrong | ver- | verbreiten, verschwinden, sich vertippen |
Das Meme verbreitet sich innerhalb weniger Stunden.
The meme spreads within a few hours.
Ich habe mich im Kommentar vertippt.
I made a typo in the comment.
Der alte Beitrag ist plötzlich verschwunden.
The old post has suddenly disappeared.
Jonas verlinkt das Video in der Gruppe.
Jonas links the video in the group.
These are tendencies, not strict rules, so learn each verb with its meaning. Das Meme means meme, der Beitrag post and verlinken to link. All users here are invented.
02
ent- and er-: removing and creating
Ent- often means taking something away or undoing it: entfernen, to remove, entsperren, to unblock. Er- often points to a result or to creating something: erreichen, to reach, erstellen, to create. A prefix can even reverse the meaning of its root: sperren, entsperren.
Die Moderatorin entfernt beleidigende Kommentare.
The moderator removes offensive comments.
Die Admins haben Lenas Konto wieder entsperrt.
The admins have unblocked Lena's account again.
Aylin erstellt jede Woche ein neues Meme.
Aylin creates a new meme every week.
Das Video hat in drei Tagen eine Million Aufrufe erreicht.
The video reached a million views in three days.
Sperren means to block, entsperren to unblock. Die Moderatorin means moderator and der Aufruf view, as in a video's views.
03
zer-: breaking things apart
Zer- means into pieces or completely destroyed: zerreißen, to tear up, zerstören, to destroy. Zerreden means to talk something to death until nothing is left of it. Ent- can also mark a beginning: entstehen, to come into being.
Lena zerreißt den Ausdruck mit dem peinlichen Foto.
Lena tears up the printout with the embarrassing photo.
Der Streit hat die Online-Community fast zerstört.
The argument almost destroyed the online community.
Ein harmloser Witz wurde in der Diskussion völlig zerredet.
A harmless joke was completely talked to death in the discussion.
Die Gruppe ist aus einem einzigen Meme entstanden.
The group grew out of a single meme.
Verreißen, by contrast, means to criticise a film or book harshly. All these verbs form the participle without ge-: zerstört, zerredet, entstanden.
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