Breakdown of Mein Bruder hat gestern abgewaschen.
haben
to have
mein
my
der Bruder
the brother
gestern
yesterday
abwaschen
to wash up, to do the dishes
Questions & Answers about Mein Bruder hat gestern abgewaschen.
Why is the ge in the middle of abgewaschen?
abwaschen is a separable verb. When forming the past participle (the verb form used for the past tense), the ge- gets sandwiched between the separable prefix (ab-) and the base verb (waschen).
Why use abwaschen instead of just waschen?
waschen by itself usually means washing clothes, a car, or your body. To specifically say "wash the dishes" or "wash up," you need abwaschen (or another common verb, spülen).
Do I need to include the word for "the dishes" (das Geschirr) here?
You can, but you don't have to. Just like "washing up" in English, the verb abwaschen on its own already implies that you are cleaning the dirty dishes.
Why does gestern come right after the verb hat?
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb (hat) is always in the second position. Adverbs of time like gestern (yesterday) usually come immediately after it, pushing the past participle (abgewaschen) to the very end of the sentence.
Learn Mein Bruder hat gestern abgewaschen and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free