Communication is about more than just the words we say. Interpreting a gesture or someone's posture is a daily task, and it is easy to get it wrong.
| Body language is important, since we often remain silent. | Die Körpersprache ist wichtig, da wir oft schweigen. |
When reading body language goes wrong, German has a very handy prefix to describe errors, negative actions, and misunderstandings: miss-.
The inseparable prefix "miss-"
Just like the English prefixes "mis-" (as in misunderstand) or "dis-" (as in displeased), attaching the prefix miss- to the beginning of a German verb gives it a negative, opposite, or incorrect meaning.
Grammatically, miss- is an inseparable prefix. This means that when you conjugate the verb in a standard sentence, the prefix stays firmly attached to the front of the verb. It does not get kicked to the end of the sentence.
Take the verb verstehen (to understand). If we add the prefix, we get missverstehen (to misunderstand).
| I often misunderstand this gesture. | Ich missverstehe diese Geste oft. |
This prefix isn't just for verbs. You will also see it on related nouns, where it is capitalized just like any other German noun.
| A misunderstanding happens quickly. | Ein Missverständnis passiert schnell. |
Opposite meanings and Dative objects
Many verbs with miss- are the exact opposites of positive verbs you likely already know. Crucially, they keep the exact same grammatical rules as their positive counterparts.
For example, you know that gefallen (to please / to like) and trauen (to trust) require a Dative object. Therefore, their negative counterparts missfallen (to displease) and misstrauen (to distrust) also require the Dative case for the person being displeased or distrusted.
| The behavior displeases me. | Das Verhalten missfällt mir. |
| I distrust you since you are lying. | Ich misstraue dir, da du lügst. |
More useful "miss-" verbs
There are a few more highly common verbs that use this prefix to describe things going poorly:
- misslingen (to fail): The opposite of gelingen (to succeed), used when a project, plan, or attempt does not work out.
- missachten (to ignore / to disregard): Used when someone actively ignores a rule, a warning, or common courtesy.
| The experiment fails since we do not pay attention. | Das Experiment misslingt, da wir nicht aufpassen. |
| You should not disregard this rule. | Ihr sollt diese Regel nicht missachten. |