Before you start
Meet ablösen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 5 meanings
- to detach, to remove, to peel off
- to supersede, to displace, to replace, to take over from
- to relieve
- to pay off (a debt, mortgage etc. in one lump sum)
- (Austria) to pay a previous owner or renter for (fixtures and fittings)
Build the meaning
ab- + lösen
- ab-
- away or off from something
- lösen
- to loosen or release
Lösen something ab is to loosen it away from what it is attached to; by extension, someone can take over from a person on duty.
So ablösen means to remove or come off; to relieve or replace someone on duty.
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·lösen
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 clauseWir lösen den alten Mann heute ab.We relieve the old man today.
Subordinate clauseSie bleibt, weil ich sie ablöse.She stays because I am taking over from her.
Participle: abgelöstzu-infinitive: abzulösen
Forms
How ablösen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | löse ab | löste ab |
| du | löst ab | löstest ab |
| er/sie/es | löst ab | löste ab |
| wir | lösen ab | lösten ab |
| ihr | löst ab | löstet ab |
| Sie | lösen ab | lösten ab |
Partizip II abgelöst · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich löse das alte Bild von der Wand ab.I take the old picture off the wall.prefix goes to the end
- 2Der Aufkleber hat sich leicht abgelöst.The sticker came off easily.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich löse meinen Vater ab, wenn er müde ist.I take over from my father when he is tired.prefix splits in main clause
Verb family
More verbs built on lösen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.