Separable verbs split: prefix to the end
A separable verb is one word in the dictionary (aufstehen, anrufen, einkaufen) but in a present-tense main clause it splits: the finite verb sits in position 2 and the prefix detaches to the very end — aufstehen -> Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf. The finite slot conjugates as the un-prefixed verb (stehen -> stehe/stehst/steht); only the prefix moves. Common prefixes: auf-, an-, aus-, ein-, mit-, nach-, vor-, zurück-, weg-, fern-.
Inseparable prefixes never split
An inseparable verb looks like a prefix + stem, but the prefix never detaches, in any tense. The eight inseparable prefixes are be-, ver-, er-, ent-, emp-, ge-, zer-, miss-. In the present these verbs conjugate as one ordinary weak verb: besuchen -> Ich besuche meine Großeltern.; verkaufen -> Er verkauft sein Fahrrad. The prefix is never stressed and never moves — there is no clause-final piece to send anywhere, unlike a separable verb.
Modal verbs: irregular + bare infinitive
The six modal verbs — können (can), müssen (must), wollen (want), sollen, dürfen, mögen — plus möchte (Konjunktiv II of mögen, "would like") share one pattern: the modal sits in position 2 and the main verb goes to the end as a bare infinitive (no zu): Ich kann gut Deutsch sprechen. All six are irregular in the singular (ich = er/sie/es, no ending; du adds -st) and fully regular in the plural. Full table in the note.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
möchte vs mochte (would like / liked)
möchte and mochte look almost identical but mean different things:
Dropping the umlaut turns a polite request into a statement about the past.
Cambridge 0525 (via digest): named twice — the animals task (s22 42 Q2) and the birthday task (s23 42 Q2 Task 3); the s23 42 Accuracy summary notes candidates "often did not form the conditional correctly (wurde instead of würde and mochte for möchte)".
Separable prefix left mid-clause
A separable verb's prefix must travel to the very end of a present-tense main clause:
No 0525 report names separable verbs specifically, but this is the same word-order loss the reports flag under Reading Q6.
Cambridge 0525 (via digest): general word-order findings, not a separable-verb-specific quotation — "candidates often failed to use the correct word order" (w22 22 Q6(i)); word order "incorrect in many cases" (w23 22 Q6(b)/(d)).
ich kannst — modal singular ending
The modal singular is irregular: ich takes the SAME bare stem as er/sie/es, with no ending — not the du form:
Only du adds -st (du kannst, du musst). So ich = er (kann, muss, will, soll, darf, mag).
(general FL trap)
Splitting an inseparable prefix
Inseparable prefixes (be-, ver-, er-, ent-, emp-, ge-, zer-, miss-) never detach — yet candidates try to send them to the end like a separable prefix:
An inseparable verb conjugates as one whole weak verb; there is nothing to move.
(general FL trap)
Separable verb under a modal stays joined
Under a modal, a separable verb does NOT split — the whole infinitive travels to the end together, prefix attached:
The prefix detaches only when the separable verb is itself the finite verb (Ich stehe … auf), not under a modal.
(general FL trap)
Modals don't take zu before the infinitive
English inserts "to" between a modal-like verb and the next ("I want to go"), so candidates add zu in German:
German modals always take a bare infinitive, no zu — zu + infinitive belongs after certain OTHER verbs, never after a modal.
wir möchte — modal plural ending
Because the modal singular takes no ending (ich/er kann, muss, möchte), candidates carry that bare stem into the plural:
The plural is fully regular: wir/sie take -en (möchten, können), ihr takes -t. Only the singular is irregular.
Cambridge 0525 (via digest): the Speaking mark scheme's own worked "minor error" example — "wir möchte in die Stadt gehen" (w22) and "wir möchte ins Kino gehen" (w23) — both should be "wir möchten".
Fix the finite verb, then place the rest
For a modal/separable sentence: (1) modal — irregular singular / regular plural in position 2; (2) main verb as a bare infinitive (no zu) at the end; (3) separable — conjugate the stem, send the prefix to the end; (4) inseparable — whole word, nothing moves.
Identify the verb family first
Classify the verb first. A stressed, standalone-word prefix (auf, an, aus, ein, mit, vor) -> separable. A be-/ver-/er-/ent-/emp-/ge-/zer-/miss- prefix -> inseparable, never splits. One of the six modals or möchte -> modal, sends the other verb to the end.
Check the last word of the clause
Quick self-check: the LAST word of your main clause should be the bare infinitive in a modal sentence (…aufstehen) or the detached prefix in a separable one (…auf, …an). If it is neither, you have probably left something un-moved — the word-order slip examiners flag.
Three verb families that all reshape a normal present-tense main clause. Here we cover present tense only — the perfect tense of these verbs is a separate topic.
1. Separable verbs — the prefix detaches and goes to the very end of a main clause:
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