Before you start
Meet abreißen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 2 meanings
- to tear off
- (a building) to tear down, to demolish
Build the meaning
ab- + reißen
- ab-
- away or off from a larger whole
- reißen
- to tear
Tear something away from what it is attached to.
So abreißen means to tear down or tear off.
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·reißen
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 clauseSie reißt den Zettel ab.She tears the note off.
Subordinate clauseEr lacht, weil das Papier abreißt.He laughs because the paper tears off.
Participle: abgerissenzu-infinitive: abzureißen
Forms
How abreißen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | reiße ab | riss ab |
| du | reißt ab | rissest ab |
| er/sie/es | reißt ab | riss ab |
| wir | reißen ab | rissen ab |
| ihr | reißt ab | risst ab |
| Sie | reißen ab | rissen ab |
Partizip II abgerissen · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Der Wind reißt das Papier ab.The wind tears the paper off.prefix goes to the end
- 2Wir haben das alte Haus abgerissen.We tore down the old house.Perfekt with haben
- 3Du musst das Bild nicht abreißen.You must not tear the picture off.modal verb with infinitive
Verb family
More verbs built on reißen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.