DutchYou say ik bel je op, but ik wil je opbellen. The dictionary gives opbellen as one word, yet in the sentence it often falls apart in two. Once you see the pattern, it stops being a mystery.
Short answer: a separable verb is a little part (op, aan, uit, mee, weg ...) plus a verb. In a plain main clause the little part goes to the end: ik hang de klok op. With a second verb, in a subordinate clause and in the past participle it stays one word: ik wil de klok ophangen, omdat ik de klok ophang, ik heb de klok opgehangen.
1 How to spot them
Most separable verbs start with a preposition or an adverb. You meet many of them every day:
| Verb | Meaning | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| ophangen | to hang up | Bo hangt de klok op. |
| aandoen | to switch on | Doe het licht aan. |
| opruimen | to tidy up | Ik ruim mijn kamer op. |
| meenemen | to take along | Neem je paspoort mee. |
| uitpakken | to unpack | We pakken de dozen uit. |
| opbellen | to call | Ik bel de huisarts morgen op. |
2 When it splits
In a main clause with only one verb, present or past tense. The verb stands in second place, the little part goes all the way to the end, after everything else:
| Tense | Sentence |
|---|---|
| present | Ik hang de foto boven de bank op. |
| past | Ik hing de foto gisteren op. |
| question | Hang jij de foto op? |
| asking someone to | Hang de foto maar op. |
A bare Hang de foto op! sounds like an order. The Dutch soften it with a little word before the part: maar (go ahead) or even (just quickly). Zet de radio even aan, pak de doos maar uit.
Tip: put the little part in front of the thing and you say something else. Ik hang de foto op is "I hang the photo up". Ik hang op de foto is "I am hanging on the photo".
3 When it stays together
- With a second verb (wil, gaat, moet, kan): the whole verb goes to the end, in one piece. Ik wil de foto ophangen.
- In a subordinate clause, where the verb goes to the end anyway: Het is gezellig, omdat ik de foto ophang.
- In the past participle the ge- goes in the middle: ik heb de foto opgehangen, de lamp is aangedaan.
- With te, it goes in the middle too: Ik probeer de foto op te hangen.
4 The stress gives it away
A separable verb has its stress on the little part: ophangen, aandoen, meenemen. Verbs that look alike but are stressed on the verb itself do not split: vertellen (to tell), betalen (to pay), overleggen (to consult). So ik vertel, never ik tel ver.
Dutch even has pairs that only differ by the stress. Voorkomen is to occur (dat komt vaak voor), voorkomen is to prevent (ik voorkom een fout). Same letters, opposite behaviour.
Partner tip Narrate the morning together. The learner says out loud what they do while they do it: Ik doe het licht aan. Ik zet de koffie. Ik pak mijn tas in. The partner listens for one thing: is the little part at the end? Then swap, and let the learner catch you.
Test yourself
Put it in order: Bo / doet / aan / de lamp
Bo doet de lamp aan. One verb in a main clause: the little part goes to the end.
Now with wil: Bo wil de lamp ...
Bo wil de lamp aandoen. With a second verb it stays one word, at the end.
The past participle of ophangen?
opgehangen: ge- goes in the middle.
Ik betaal of ik taal be?
Ik betaal. Betalen is stressed on ta, so it does not split.
