Before you start
Meet umdrehen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 4 meanings
- (transitive or reflexive) to twist, to turn, to turn around [auxiliary haben]
- (reflexive) to turn one's head and look back [auxiliary haben]
- (transitive) to turn inside out (clothing, etc.) [auxiliary haben]
- (intransitive) to turn around, to flip, to reverse [auxiliary haben or sein]
Build the meaning
um- + drehen
- um-
- around or over
- drehen
- to turn or rotate
Turn something around or over by rotating it.
So umdrehen means to turn over; to turn around.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: um·drehen
In a main clause the prefix um 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 dreht den Becher um.He turns the cup upside down.
Subordinate clause…, weil er den Becher umdreht.…, because he turns the cup upside down.
Participle: umgedrehtzu-infinitive: umzudrehen
Forms
How umdrehen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | drehe um | drehte um |
| du | drehst um | drehtest um |
| er/sie/es | dreht um | drehte um |
| wir | drehen um | drehten um |
| ihr | dreht um | drehtet um |
| Sie | drehen um | drehten um |
Partizip II umgedreht · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich drehe mich morgen um.I will turn around tomorrow.present, prefix at end
- 2Sie hat das Bild umgedreht.She turned the picture over.Perfekt with haben
- 3Wenn du dich umdrehst, siehst du mich.If you turn around, you will see me.verb at the end after wenn