Dutch Separable Verbs (Opstaan, Afspreken) Explained

The essentials

Many Dutch verbs are built from a small word plus a verb: op + staan = opstaan (to get up), af + spreken = afspreken (to arrange to meet). In a normal sentence with one verb, these verbs split: the verb takes its usual second place and the small word, the prefix, jumps to the end.

Core rule: one verb in the sentence → split it. A second verb in the sentence (a modal like moeten, or gaan) → the separable verb stays whole, as an infinitive at the end.

Infinitive	One verb: split	With a modal: whole
opstaan	Ik sta om zeven uur op. Ik sta om zeven uur op. - I get up at seven o'clock.	Ik moet om zeven uur opstaan. Ik moet om zeven uur opstaan. - I have to get up at seven o'clock.
afspreken	We spreken morgen af. We spreken morgen af. - We are meeting tomorrow.	We willen morgen afspreken. We willen morgen afspreken. - We want to meet tomorrow.
opbellen	Ik bel mijn moeder op. Ik bel mijn moeder op. - I phone my mother.	Ik kan mijn moeder opbellen. Ik kan mijn moeder opbellen. - I can phone my mother.
meegaan	Ga je mee? Ga je mee? - Are you coming along?	Wil je meegaan? Wil je meegaan? - Do you want to come along?
uitgaan	Zij gaat vaak uit. Zij gaat vaak uit. - She often goes out.	Zij wil vaak uitgaan. Zij wil vaak uitgaan. - She often wants to go out.

💡 Hear it: in a separable verb the stress falls on the prefix: OPstaan, AFspreken, MEEgaan. That stressed first part is your clue that it will split.

Common Prefixes and Everyday Verbs

The prefixes are mostly short words you already know: op (up), af (off), aan (on), uit (out), mee (along), terug (back), in (in), weg (away). The meaning of the whole verb is not always the sum of its parts, so learn each one as a word.

Verb	Meaning	Example
aankomen	to arrive	De trein komt om tien uur aan. De trein komt om tien uur aan. - The train arrives at ten o'clock.
aantrekken	to put on (clothes)	Ik trek mijn jas aan. Ik trek mijn jas aan. - I put on my coat.
afwassen	to do the dishes	Hij wast na het eten af. Hij wast na het eten af. - He does the dishes after dinner.
opruimen	to tidy up	Wij ruimen de kamer op. Wij ruimen de kamer op. - We tidy up the room.
terugkomen	to come back	Wanneer kom je terug? Wanneer kom je terug? - When are you coming back?
meenemen	to take along	Ik neem een boterham mee. Ik neem een boterham mee. - I am taking a sandwich with me.
weggaan	to leave	Wij gaan om vijf uur weg. Wij gaan om vijf uur weg. - We are leaving at five o'clock.

Not every prefix splits. Verbs that start with an unstressed be-, ver-, ont-, her-, ge- or er- never split: ik begrijp, ik vertel, ik ontmoet. You will use this again with the perfect tense in lesson 5.

Separable Verbs in Every Kind of Sentence

The rule does not change when the sentence changes shape. The verb still stands in second place (or first, in a yes/no question), and the prefix still waits at the very end, after time, place and objects.

Sentence type	Example
Normal order	Ik sta elke dag om zeven uur op. Ik sta elke dag om zeven uur op. - I get up at seven every day.
Time first (inversion)	Om zeven uur sta ik op. Om zeven uur sta ik op. - At seven I get up.
Yes/no question	Sta jij vroeg op? Sta jij vroeg op? - Do you get up early?
Open question	Hoe laat kom je terug? Hoe laat kom je terug? - What time are you coming back?
With niet	Ik ga vandaag niet uit. Ik ga vandaag niet uit. - I am not going out today.
With a modal	Ik moet vandaag opruimen. Ik moet vandaag opruimen. - I have to tidy up today.
With gaan (future)	Wij gaan morgen afspreken. Wij gaan morgen afspreken. - We are going to meet tomorrow.

💡 Objects go in the middle: Ik bel mijn moeder op, not Ik bel op mijn moeder. Whatever you add sits between the verb and its prefix, like between two bookends.

How to Actually Use Separable Verbs

English keeps "get up" together, so the instinct is to keep opstaan together too. Instead, think of a separable verb as a frame: say the verb early, add everything you want to say, and close the sentence with the prefix. Ik sta ... op, We spreken ... af.

When there is a second verb, the frame changes owner: now the modal takes the early slot and the whole separable verb closes the sentence. Ik moet morgen vroeg opstaan. There is never a split verb and a modal in the same simple sentence.

Real-life note: afspreken is how Dutch people make plans. "Zullen we afspreken?" means "Shall we meet up?", and "We hebben afgesproken" means "We have an appointment". You will hear it every week.

COMMON MISTAKES

Mistakes English Speakers Make

English phrasal verbs such as "get up" and "call up" never split across a whole sentence, so these four slips come up again and again.

✗ ~~Ik opsta om zeven uur.~~ ✓ Ik sta om zeven uur op.

With one verb in the sentence, the prefix splits off and goes to the end.

✗ ~~Ik moet om zeven uur sta op.~~ ✓ Ik moet om zeven uur opstaan.

With a modal the separable verb stays whole, as an infinitive at the end.

✗ ~~We spreken af morgen.~~ ✓ We spreken morgen af.

Time words go before the prefix; the prefix closes the sentence.

✗ ~~Ik bel op mijn moeder.~~ ✓ Ik bel mijn moeder op.

The object sits between the verb and its prefix.

PRACTICE

A2 Lesson 1 Practice

Choose one activity below. Questions reuse words from the A1 course.

Option 1: Split Or Whole?

Pick the verb form that fits the sentence.

Question 0/8 Score 0

Dutch Separable Verbs: Opstaan, Afspreken and Opbellen

The essentials

Common Prefixes and Everyday Verbs

Separable Verbs in Every Kind of Sentence

How to Actually Use Separable Verbs

Mistakes English Speakers Make

A2 Lesson 1 Practice

Option 1: Split Or Whole?

Option 2: Build The Sentence

Option 3: Type The Missing Verb