Before you start
Meet zurücklegen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 5 meanings
- (transitive) to put back (an object to its original place)
- (transitive) to put aside (to save or keep for later)
- (reflexive) to recline
- (transitive) to cover, travel (a distance)
- (Austria, transitive) to resign (from an office or position)
Build the meaning
zurück- + legen
- zurück-
- back, away from the current place
- legen
- to lay or place
Place something back or to one side; with a distance, imagine leaving that stretch behind you.
So zurücklegen means to put back, set aside, or cover a distance.
A memory aid, not a rule: prefixes change meaning from verb to verb.
Learning approach inspired by this explanation in r/German.
Separable verb: zurück·legen
In a main clause the prefix zurück splits off and goes to the end. After weil, dass and other subordinating words, the verb stays in one piece at the end.
Main clauseIch lege die Zeitung zurück.I put the newspaper back.
Subordinate clauseEr sagt, dass er das Buch zurücklegt.He says that he is putting the book back.
Participle: zurückgelegtzu-infinitive: zurückzulegen
Forms
How zurücklegen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | lege zurück | legte zurück |
| du | legst zurück | legtest zurück |
| er/sie/es | legt zurück | legte zurück |
| wir | legen zurück | legten zurück |
| ihr | legt zurück | legtet zurück |
| Sie | legen zurück | legten zurück |
Partizip II zurückgelegt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Ich lege das Buch zurück.I put the book back.prefix goes to the end
- 2Wir haben heute zehn Kilometer zurückgelegt.We covered ten kilometers today.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich spare Geld, weil ich jeden Monat etwas zurücklege.I save money because I put some aside every month.verb at the end after weil
Verb family
More verbs built on legen
Same base verb, a different prefix, a new meaning.