Breakdown of Der Zug fährt zurück.
der Zug
the train
fahren
to drive, to travel
zurück
back (in return, backwards)
Questions & Answers about Der Zug fährt zurück.
Why is zurück at the very end of the sentence?
The full verb is zurückfahren (to go back). It is a separable verb. In the present tense, the prefix zurück splits off from the main part of the verb (fährt) and moves to the very end of the sentence.
Why does fährt have an umlaut (the two dots) over the a?
The base verb fahren (to drive or go) changes its vowel in the present tense. For the he, she, and it forms, the a changes to an ä. Since der Zug (the train) is grammatically masculine, we use fährt.
How would I say this in the past tense (Perfekt) using the rules from this lesson?
You would say: Der Zug ist zurückgefahren. For separable verbs, the ge part of the past participle goes right between the prefix (zurück) and the verb stem (fahren). Also, since this verb describes motion from one place to another, it uses ist instead of hat as its helper verb.
Can I use fährt for any type of going?
No, fahren specifically means going by vehicle (like a train, car, or bike). If someone were walking back on foot, you would use the verb zurückgehen instead.
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