Before you start
Meet abheben
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 8 meanings
- (intransitive) to lift off
- (intransitive, of airplanes) to take off
- (telephony, pick up the receiver) to answer
- (transitive, banking, of bank accounts) to withdraw
- (card games) to cut
- (intransitive) to lose touch with reality
Build the meaning
ab- + heben
- ab-
- away or off from a surface or source
- heben
- to lift
Lift something away from its place or source.
So abheben means to lift off; to withdraw money.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: ab·heben
In a main clause the prefix ab splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseDer Hubschrauber hebt langsam ab.The helicopter takes off slowly.
Subordinate clauseWir warten, bis der Hubschrauber abhebt.We wait until the helicopter takes off.
Participle: abgehobenzu-infinitive: abzuheben
Forms
How abheben changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | hebe ab | hob ab |
| du | hebst ab | hobst ab |
| er/sie/es | hebt ab | hob ab |
| wir | heben ab | hoben ab |
| ihr | hebt ab | hobt ab |
| Sie | heben ab | hoben ab |
Partizip II abgehoben · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Das Flugzeug hebt um neun Uhr ab.The plane takes off at nine.prefix goes to the end
- 2Ich habe am Automaten Geld abgehoben.I withdrew money from the ATM.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich sehe, dass sich die blaue Farbe gut abhebt.I see that the blue color stands out well.verb at the end after dass
Verb family
More verbs built on heben
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.