A separable verb is a verb with a detachable prefix — opstaan is op + staan ("to stand up") — and in a main clause that prefix flies to the end of the sentence: Ik sta om zeven uur op. This page collects the everyday separables that describe motion to a goal or a change of state, because those are precisely the verbs that build their perfect with zijn, not hebben. You get up (opstaan), you arrive (aankomen), you leave (weggaan) — and all of them say ik *ben opgestaan, ik **ben aangekomen. We'll conjugate each one, show exactly where the prefix goes and where *ge- lands, and finish with the special case of vertrekken, whose prefix never detaches at all.
Why these verbs take zijn
Dutch picks zijn for the perfect when a verb describes directed motion (going from here to there) or a change of state (a transition from one condition to another). Every verb on this page is one or the other: standing up is a change of position, arriving and leaving are directed motion. English lost this distinction centuries ago — it says "I have arrived" with "have" — so you must learn the zijn-class verb by verb. The good news is that the meaning is a reliable guide here: motion-to-a-goal and change-of-state almost always take zijn.
The verbs at a glance
| Infinitive | Meaning | Simple past (sg.) | Past participle | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| opstaan | to get up, stand up | stond op | opgestaan | strong |
| aankomen | to arrive | kwam aan | aangekomen | strong |
| weggaan | to leave, go away | ging weg | weggegaan | strong (irreg. gaan) |
| terugkomen | to come back, return | kwam terug | teruggekomen | strong |
| uitgaan | to go out (socially) | ging uit | uitgegaan | strong (irreg. gaan) |
| instappen | to get on/in (a vehicle) | stapte in | ingestapt | weak |
| uitstappen | to get off/out | stapte uit | uitgestapt | weak |
| vertrekken | to depart, leave | vertrok | vertrokken | strong — inseparable |
All eight take zijn in the perfect. Vertrekken is in this list because it's a core "leave" verb of directed motion, but it is not separable — ver- is an inseparable prefix, which means it never detaches and the participle takes no ge- (just vertrokken).
Where the prefix goes
A separable verb has three behaviours you must keep straight:
- Main clause, finite verb — the prefix detaches and goes to the end: Ik *sta om zeven uur op.*
- Subordinate clause — the verb rejoins at the end and stays whole: …dat ik om zeven uur *opsta.*
- Participle — ge- slots between the prefix and the stem: op
- ge
- staan = opgestaan.
- ge
- Infinitive with te — te slots between prefix and stem too: op *te staan*.
Ik sta doordeweeks om half zeven op.
On weekdays I get up at half past six. — main clause: prefix 'op' detaches and goes to the end.
Ik ben vanmorgen veel te laat opgestaan.
I got up far too late this morning. — perfect with 'ben'; ge- sits inside: op-ge-staan.
Het is tijd om op te staan.
It's time to get up. — the te-infinitive splits: 'op te staan'.
Opstaan, aankomen, terugkomen — arriving and rising
These three share the strong pattern and all take zijn. Aankomen and terugkomen are built on komen (kwam / gekomen), so their participles are aangekomen and teruggekomen — note that ge- lands after the prefix, giving the slightly surprising double-looking aan-ge-komen.
| Verb | Present (ik / hij) | Past (sg.) | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| opstaan | sta op / staat op | stond op | ben opgestaan |
| aankomen | kom aan / komt aan | kwam aan | ben aangekomen |
| terugkomen | kom terug / komt terug | kwam terug | ben teruggekomen |
Onze trein komt om kwart over acht aan.
Our train arrives at quarter past eight. — present, prefix 'aan' to the end.
We zijn pas na middernacht in Berlijn aangekomen.
We didn't arrive in Berlin until after midnight. — perfect 'zijn aangekomen'.
Wanneer kom je terug van vakantie?
When are you coming back from holiday? — 'terug' detaches to the end of the main clause.
Weggaan, uitgaan — leaving and going out (built on gaan)
Weggaan and uitgaan are built on the irregular gaan (ging / gegaan). Both take zijn. Uitgaan in the social sense means "to go out" (for the evening); weggaan is the plain "to leave / go away."
| Verb | Present (ik / hij) | Past (sg.) | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| weggaan | ga weg / gaat weg | ging weg | ben weggegaan |
| uitgaan | ga uit / gaat uit | ging uit | ben uitgegaan |
Ga je nu al weg? Het is nog vroeg!
Are you leaving already? It's still early! — 'weg' detaches in the main clause.
We zijn gisteren met z'n allen uitgegaan.
We all went out last night. — perfect 'zijn uitgegaan', social 'go out'.
Instappen, uitstappen — boarding and alighting (weak)
These two are the weak verbs of the group — past stapte in / stapte uit, participles ingestapt / uitgestapt. You use them constantly with public transport: you instappen (get on) and uitstappen (get off). Both take zijn because boarding/alighting is directed motion.
| Verb | Present (ik / hij) | Past (sg.) | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| instappen | stap in / stapt in | stapte in | ben ingestapt |
| uitstappen | stap uit / stapt uit | stapte uit | ben uitgestapt |
Stap maar snel in, de deuren gaan dicht!
Hurry up and get on, the doors are closing! — imperative, prefix 'in' to the end.
Ik ben bij het verkeerde station uitgestapt.
I got off at the wrong station. — perfect 'ben uitgestapt'.
Vertrekken — the inseparable outlier
Vertrekken ("to depart") belongs here by meaning — it's directed motion and takes zijn — but grammatically it's the opposite of a separable verb. The prefix ver- is inseparable: it never detaches, the verb stays whole in a main clause, and the participle takes no ge- (just vertrokken). This is the standard behaviour of the unstressed prefixes be-, ge-, ver-, er-, her-, ont-.
| Verb | Present (ik / hij) | Past (sg.) | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| vertrekken | vertrek / vertrekt | vertrok | ben vertrokken |
Het vliegtuig vertrekt om half elf.
The plane departs at half past ten. — verb stays whole; 'ver-' never splits off.
Ze zijn vanochtend vroeg vertrokken.
They left early this morning. — perfect 'zijn vertrokken', no ge- on the participle.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik heb om zeven uur opgestaan.
Incorrect auxiliary — opstaan is a change-of-state verb and takes 'zijn'.
✅ Ik ben om zeven uur opgestaan.
I got up at seven o'clock.
❌ De trein is om acht uur geaankomen.
Incorrect — ge- goes inside the separable verb, after the prefix: 'aangekomen', not 'geaankomen'.
✅ De trein is om acht uur aangekomen.
The train arrived at eight o'clock.
❌ Ik opstaan altijd vroeg.
Incorrect — in a main clause the prefix must detach: 'Ik sta altijd vroeg op'.
✅ Ik sta altijd vroeg op.
I always get up early.
❌ Het is tijd om opstaan.
Incorrect — the te-infinitive splits the prefix: 'om op te staan'.
✅ Het is tijd om op te staan.
It's time to get up.
❌ Het vliegtuig is om tien uur gevertrokken.
Incorrect — vertrekken is inseparable; its participle takes no ge-: just 'vertrokken'.
✅ Het vliegtuig is om tien uur vertrokken.
The plane departed at ten o'clock.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Verb Reference: How to Use These TablesA2 — A guide to reading the verb-reference pages: what each conjugation table shows (present, simple past, perfect with its auxiliary, participle), how strong/weak/mixed verbs are labelled, why the auxiliary is flagged, and which verbs to master first.
- Everyday Separable Verbs that Take HebbenA2 — Common transitive separable verbs that form the perfect with 'hebben' — opbellen, meenemen, aanzetten, uitzetten, opruimen, afwassen, meebrengen, ophangen — with how the prefix splits in main clauses, where 'ge-' lands in the participle, and the 'op te bellen' infinitive split.
- Separable Verbs: OverviewA2 — What separable verbs are, how to recognise them by stress (ÓPbellen, not opBELlen), and how the particle behaves across infinitive, present, and participle — the hub for every separable-verb page.
- Hebben or Zijn in the PerfectB1 — Most Dutch verbs build the perfect with hebben, but verbs of change of state or location — and motion verbs once a destination is named — switch to zijn, following a deep telicity logic English has no equivalent for.
- Houden van, Denken aan, Wachten op — Fixed Verb+Preposition VerbsB1 — Four high-frequency verbs whose meaning depends on a fixed preposition — houden van (to love/like), denken aan/over (to think of/about), wachten op (to wait for), zorgen voor (to take care of) — with full conjugations and how the preposition turns into er-/waar- with pronouns and questions.