Dutch/Lesson 19

Les 19 ~ Lesson 19

Onscheidbare werkwoorden~ Inseparable verbs

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Separability

Types

There are three basic kinds of verbs in Dutch in terms of separability

1. Basic verbs (current database at nl.wiktionary)

   Basic verbs form their past participle with ge-

   Either they simply consist of a stem: lopen - gelopen

   Or they may have prefixes that are treated as part of the stem; this is the case for all prefixes of Latin origin: degenereren -gedegenereerd

2. Separable verbs (current database at nl.wiktionary)

   Separable verbs have a prefix that is separated in some of the tenses, reunited in others

   They form their past participle by inserting -ge- between the prefix and the stem: doorlopen - doorgelopen

3. Inseparable verbs (current database at nl.wiktionary)

   Inseparable verbs have a prefix before the stem that does not separate

   The prefix suppresses the ge- prefix of the past participle - onthalen - onthaald

Stress

There is a difference in stress between the separable and inseparable prefixes:

separable prefixes carry stress

inseparable prefixes never carry stress: the stress is on the stem of the verb

Dual prefixes

SEP+INSEP+STEM

Verbs can have more than one prefix. Usually a separable one precedes an inseparable one: e.g. in afbetalen, where af- is separable and be- is inseparable. In such a case the af- prefix will follow the rules for separation:

afbetalen	infinitive	united
hij besloot af te betalen	the te-form of the infinitive	separates
hij betaalde af	finite forms in main clauses	separates
ik geloof dat hij afbetaalt	finite form in subject clauses	reunite

But the be- prefix will still suppress the ge- prefix in the past participle:

hij heeft afbetaald (not: *afgebetaald)

INSEP+INSEP+STEM

The inseparable prefix "her-" is still somewhat productive and can appear before verbs that already have another inseparable prefix like "be-", as in herbeginnen. Such a verb behaves entirely as an inseparable verb

INSEP+SEP+STEM

In a few cases with a reverse order of separability a conflict may arise, e.g. if the inseparable "her-" is put before a separable "in-" as in "herinrichten". Such verbs tend to be incomplete: not all forms are used. One may see a form like "heringericht", but speakers may avoid phrases like "ik richt herin".

(current database at nl.wiktionary)

Inseparable prefixes

The number of truly inseparable prefixes that can only be used as inseparable, is relatively small in Dutch. A few prepositional adverbs like door-, onder- can be used either as separable of as inseparable and were already reviewed in chapter 17.

be-

Much like in English the prefix be- 'pins' the action of a verb 'down onto' an object. If the prefix is added to an intransitive verb it often becomes transitive and thus the verb can be used in the passive voice:

slapen - to sleep

beslapen - to sleep on something

het bed is niet beslapen - the bed has not been slept on

gaan - to go

begaan - to set foot on, to perpetrate

onbegaanbaar - inpassible (impossible to set foot on)

ont-

This prefix has been largely supplanted in English by a prefix of Latin origin de-

dooien - to thaw

ontdooien - to defrost

The prefix mostly indicates an irreversible change or movement away from a previous state

slapen - to sleep

ontslapen - to die, to pass away

zien - to see

ontzien - to spare someone, to look the other way

It can have the flavor of an antonym at times

komen - to come

ontkomen - to escape

zich kleden - to get dressed

zich ontkleden - to get undressed

her-

This prefix has been supplanted by the Latin prefix re- in English. It means a renewal or a repeated action:

stellen - to put, to make stand

herstellen - to repair, to heal

denken - to think

herdenken - to commemorate

kiezen - to choose

herkiezen - to reelect

ver-

This prefix denotes a variety of meaning, some of which correspond to the English prefixes for- and fore-

In general it denotes a change.

taal - language

vertalen - to translate

kort - short

verkorten - to shorten

jong

verjongen - to rejuvenate

It can have the connotation of "change for the worse":

gaan - to go

vergaan - to perish

worden - to become

verworden - to degenerate, to decay

Some verbs only occur with this prefix:

vergeten - to forget

(krijgen, worden) - to get

There is a second prefix ver- with a different pronunciation: a stress carrying /vɛr/ rather than an unstressed /vər/. It is separable and has the meaning of English "far".

vérspringen - vérgesprongen: to make a long jump

verspríngen - verspróngen: to tick away, to suddenly change position

ge-

In Old Dutch this prefix was used as a general intensifier. Only later did it become a marker for the perfect tenses. English has had a similar development but lost the marker in the past participle. There are a few remnants in English like:

to rise - to arise

In Dutch the remnants are a bit more numerous.

denken - to think

gedenken - to ponder, to consider solemnly

bieden - to offer, to bid

gebieden - to command

dragen - to carry, to wear

zich gedragen - to comport onseself, to behave

loven - to praise

geloven - to believe

beloven - to promise

Notice that a word like "geboden" could either be the past participle of bieden or of gebieden. It can also be a noun, meaning commandments.

weer-

This prefix can convey the meaning of "again" (re-):

galmen - to sound, to resonate

weergalmen - to reverberate, to echo

spiegelen - to mirror

weerspiegelen - to reflect

However, it can also represent the with- of withstand:

weerstaan - to withstand

weerhouden - to withhold, to thwart