How do German separable verbs work in speech?

Example in context

Der Zug kommt um acht Uhr an. — The train arrives at eight o'clock. The infinitive is ankommen — to arrive.

Kommt is the finite verb and an completes it at the end of this main clause. In weil der Zug um acht Uhr ankommt — because the train arrives at eight — the verb stays together at the end of the subordinate clause.

Try it with input

Listen to a short sentence with ankommen or aufstehen. Write the two parts as one infinitive, then replay the line and notice the distance between them.

Not every German prefix is separable. Meaning also depends on context, so check the complete verb rather than assigning a fixed translation to every prefix.

Use captions for context

Jibber Jabber is our app. Its interactive captions and word lookup can help you check a word without leaving a German video. See our related guide; use a grammar reference when you need a full explanation.