Word
Die Werkstatt brennt ab.
Meaning
The workshop burns down.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Die Werkstatt brennt ab.
Why is the verb split into brennt … ab instead of just abbrennt?
Because abbrennen is a separable verb in German. In main clauses, the prefix ab- detaches from the verb stem and moves to the end of the clause, while the finite part (brennt) stays in the second position.
What’s the difference between brennen and abbrennen?
brennen simply means “to burn” (e.g. a candle burns). When you add the separable prefix ab- to form abbrennen, the meaning becomes “to burn down” (i.e. to be destroyed by fire completely).
Why is the sentence in present tense (brennt ab) if the workshop has already burned down?
Here Präsens describes an action happening right now (“The workshop is burning down”). If you want to express that it already happened (completed action), you’d use Perfekt (Die Werkstatt ist abgebrannt) or Präteritum (Die Werkstatt brannte ab).
What article is die in die Werkstatt, and why is it used?
die is the definite article for feminine nouns in the nominative case. Werkstatt is a feminine noun in German, so its subject form is die Werkstatt.
What case is die Werkstatt in this sentence?
It’s in the nominative case because it functions as the subject performing the action of the verb brennt ab.
Could I say Die Werkstatt ist abgebrannt instead?
Yes. That’s the Perfekt form with sein as auxiliary. Die Werkstatt ist abgebrannt means “The workshop has burned down” (focus on the result).
Why don’t we need a preposition before ab here?
Because ab- is not acting as a stand-alone preposition. It’s a separable verb prefix attached to brennen, creating the single verb abbrennen (“to burn down”).
What is the simple past (Präteritum) form of this sentence?
You would say Die Werkstatt brannte ab. That is the Präteritum form of abbrennen in the third-person singular.
How would the word order change in a subordinate clause, e.g. after weil?
In a subordinate clause introduced by weil, the finite verb (with its prefix) moves to the end as one unit. For example:
– Present: …, weil die Werkstatt abbrennt.
– Perfect: …, weil die Werkstatt abgebrannt ist.