Before you start
Meet abstellen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 9 meanings
- (of objects in general) to place, to leave
- (of unused objects) to put away
- (of a vehicle etc.) to park, to leave
- to put away from; to place to oneside
- (military) to detach, to assign
- (sports) to release (a player)
Build the meaning
ab- + stellen
- ab-
- away or out of operation
- stellen
- to put or set
You set something aside or take it out of operation.
So abstellen means to turn off or shut down; to park.
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·stellen
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 stellt den Wecker ab.She turns off the alarm clock.
Subordinate clauseIch bleibe, weil du das Licht abstellst.I’m staying because you’re turning off the light.
Participle: abgestelltzu-infinitive: abzustellen
Forms
How abstellen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | stelle ab | stellte ab |
| du | stellst ab | stelltest ab |
| er/sie/es | stellt ab | stellte ab |
| wir | stellen ab | stellten ab |
| ihr | stellt ab | stelltet ab |
| Sie | stellen ab | stellten ab |
Partizip II abgestellt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich stelle das Radio ab.I turn off the radio.prefix goes to the end
- 2Er hat sein Auto hier abgestellt.He parked his car here.Perfekt for parking
- 3Wir dürfen den Motor nicht abstellen.We must not turn off the engine.modal verb plus infinitive
Verb family
More verbs built on stellen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.
- vorstellento introduce, imagine
- darstellento depict, portray
- feststellento establish, detect
- einstellento adjust, employ, stop
- herstellento produce
- aufstellento put up, draw up
- anstellento employ, line up, get into mischief
- herausstellento emphasize, come to light