Before you start
Meet ablegen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 6 meanings
- to take off
- to stop wearing
- to discard (a playing card)
- to give up (a habit, a name); to lose (a character trait)
- take (an exam, an oath); to make (a confession)
- (intransitive, nautical) to set sail; to depart; to cast off [auxiliary haben]
Build the meaning
ab- + legen
- ab-
- away from a person or place; set aside
- legen
- to lay, put
You lay something away from yourself or its current place, setting it aside.
So ablegen means to take off (clothing), put down, or file.
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·legen
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 clauseEr legt die Jacke ab.He takes off his jacket.
Subordinate clause..., weil er die Jacke ablegt...., because he takes off his jacket.
Participle: abgelegtzu-infinitive: abzulegen
Forms
How ablegen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | lege ab | legte ab |
| du | legst ab | legtest ab |
| er/sie/es | legt ab | legte ab |
| wir | legen ab | legten ab |
| ihr | legt ab | legtet ab |
| Sie | legen ab | legten ab |
Partizip II abgelegt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich lege meinen Mantel ab.I take off my coat.prefix goes to the end
- 2Sie hat den Brief abgelegt.She filed the letter.Perfekt with haben
- 3Wir müssen die Tasche hier ablegen.We have to put the bag down here.modal verb with infinitive
Verb family
More verbs built on legen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.