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Lesson 12A1

Daily Routine & Separable Verbs

दैनिक दिनचर्या और अलग होने वाली क्रियाएँ

German loves building new verbs by gluing a prefix onto a base verb — and in the present tense, that prefix breaks off and moves to the end of the sentence, something with no direct Hindi equivalent.

Grammar Comparison

व्याकरण तुलना

Separable verbs: the prefix breaks off and moves to the end

German

aufstehen → Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf. (I get up at seven o'clock.)

Hindi

उठना → मैं सात बजे उठता हूँ।

Hindi verbs don't split into two pieces like this — "उठना" always stays one unit. German separable verbs are strict about it: the prefix (auf-, an-, aus-, mit-...) stays glued to the front in the infinitive (aufstehen), but the moment the verb is conjugated, it breaks off and lands at the very end of the main clause: ich stehe auf, not ich aufstehe. In a long sentence the two pieces can end up far apart, but the prefix will always surface at the end — learn this as a completely new German rule, without leaning on any Hindi pattern.

In a subordinate clause, the verb reunites

German

..., weil ich um sieben Uhr aufstehe. (..., because I get up at seven o'clock.)

Hindi

..., क्योंकि मैं सात बजे उठता हूँ।

When a separable verb appears inside a subordinate clause (after weil, dass, wenn), the whole verb — conjugated ending and prefix together — reunites into one word at the very end of the clause: aufstehe, not stehe...auf. Hindi word order doesn't shift like this between main and subordinate clauses, so treat this reunification as a German-specific rule to remember — it will come up again in the subordinate-clauses lesson.

Vocabulary

शब्दावली

GermanPronunciationHindiEnglish
aufstehenOWF-shtay-enउठनाuṭhnāto get up
aufwachenOWF-vahkh-enजागनाjāgnāto wake up
anziehenAHN-tsee-enकपड़े पहननाkapṛe pahannāto get dressed
frühstückenFREW-shtewk-enनाश्ता करनाnāśtā karnāto eat breakfast
einkaufenEYN-kow-fenखरीदारी करनाkharīdārī karnāto shop / go grocery shopping
fernsehenFAIRN-zay-enटीवी देखनाṭīvī dekhnāto watch TV
ausgehenOWS-gay-enबाहर जानाbāhar jānāto go out
einschlafenEYN-shlah-fenसो जानाso jānāto fall asleep
Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf.ikh SHTAY-eh oom ZEE-ben oor owfमैं सात बजे उठता हूँ।maiñ sāt baje uṭhtā hūñI get up at seven o'clock.