……
Questions & Answers about Ich stelle das Radio an.
Why is the verb split into stelle and an in this sentence?
“anstellen” is a separable-prefix verb (trennbares Verb). In main clauses, the prefix (an) detaches and moves to the end, while the conjugated stem (stelle) occupies the second position. That’s why you see stelle … an instead of anstellen all together.
What’s the difference between anstellen, einschalten, and anmachen when talking about turning on the radio?
All three can mean “to turn on” a device, but with slight nuances or preferences:
- einschalten (more neutral, common in writing)
- anmachen (colloquial, especially in spoken German)
- anstellen (also neutral, slightly more formal than anmachen, often used for machines or appliances)
You can generally use any of them for the radio, but in daily conversation you’ll often hear anmachen or einschalten.
Why is das Radio in the accusative case here?
The radio is the direct object of the action “to turn on.” In German, direct objects take the accusative case. The definite article das is the accusative form for neuter nouns (identical to the nominative in this case).
Can I drop the article and say Ich stelle Radio an?
In most contexts you need the article: “das Radio.” Omitting it sounds odd or incomplete. However, in very informal speech or headlines you might see “Radio an!” but not in a full sentence.
How would I form the perfect tense (present perfect) of this sentence?
Use the auxiliary haben + past participle of the separable verb. The participle places ge- between the prefix and stem:
Ich habe das Radio angestellt.
Or with einschalten:
Ich habe das Radio eingeschaltet.
How do I turn this into a yes-no question?
Invert the subject and conjugated verb (stem):
Stelle ich das Radio an?
If you use einschalten, it becomes:
Schalte ich das Radio ein?
How do I refer back to the radio with a pronoun?
Replace das Radio with es (neuter pronoun) and keep the separable prefix at the end:
Ich stelle es an.
In the perfect tense:
Ich habe es angestellt.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning GermanMaster German — from Ich stelle das Radio an to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions