The participle forms of verbs are used primarily to build the conversational past (in addition to the past perfect).
Die Katze ist wieder spät ins Bett gegangen.
The cat stayed up late again.
Sie und ihre Freunde haben ihr neues Theaterstück vorgespielt; heute war die Generalprobe.
She and her friends performed their new theater piece; today was the dress rehearsal.
Sie hat gerade im Internet nachgeschlagen, welchen Akzent Räuber haben sollten.
She just looked it up in the Internet, which accent robbers are supposed to have.
Die Katze fragt sich, warum sie das Stück noch einmal vorspielen sollten, denn alle Schlossbewohner haben es schon heute angeschaut!
The cat is wondering why they should even perform the play, since all the castle residents have already seen it today!
SAT1 hat es sogar aufgenommen; das Stück wird Samstagabend in diesem Programm gezeigt werden.
SAT1 even recorded it; the piece will run Saturday night on this channel.
Forming the participle of separable prefix verbs
Verbs with separable prefixes insert the ge- prefix between the separable prefix and the stem of the participle.
The participle of separable prefix verbs is formed based on how the original verb was formed. If the original verb was
regular, the participle of the separable prefix verb will also take the -t suffix.
irregular, the participle of the separable prefix verb will also be irregular (most often includes a stem-vowel change and definitely no -t suffix).
infinitive (basic verb)
participle
infinitive (separable prefix verb)
participle
irregular verbs
laden (load)
=>
geladen
==>
einladen (invite)
=>
eingeladen
kommen (come)
=>
gekommen
==>
mitkommen (come along)
=>
mitgekommen
regular verbs
spielen (play)
=>
gespielt
==>
vorspielen (play a video)
=>
vorgespielt
suchen (look for)
=>
gesucht
==>
aussuchen (select, choose)
=>
ausgesucht
Multiple prefixes
Some verbs have multiple prefixes. If a verb has an inseparable prefix plus a separable prefix, the verb does NOT take a ge- prefix:
infinitive
participle
english
anerkennen
hat anerkannt
recognized
nacherzählen
hat nacherzählt
retold
vorbereiten
hat vorbereitet
prepared
Haben vs. sein
Some separable prefix verbs take haben as the auxiliary verb (e.g., ausgeben => hat ausgegeben), some take sein (e.g., mitkommen => ist mitgekommen). The choice of auxiliary verb, just like with all other verbs, depends on the meaning of the word.
I. Verbs, including ones that have an separable prefix, that indicate
a movement (e.g., gehen, fahren, fliegen, kommen),
a change in state or feeling (e.g., sterben, werden), OR
indicate a state of being (e.g., bleiben, sein)
... use sein as the auxiliary verb to form the conversational past.
II. Separable prefix verbs that (can) have a direct object OR that do not denote an action that results in a change of state or being use haben as the auxiliary verb to form the conversational past.
Der Esel hat fast aufgegeben.
The donkey almost gave up.
Seine Wirtin hat ihn weggeschickt, weil er zu alt geworden war.
His owner sent him away, because he had become too old.
Er hat auf dem Weg den Hund, den Haushahn und die Katze getroffen.
On the road he met the dog, the rooster and the cat.
Ironischerweise sind die vier Tiere bei einer Gruppe von Räubern eingebrochen.
Ironically, the four animals broke in at a group of robbers.
Jeder einzelne Räuber ist schreiend weggelaufen! Angsthasen!
Every single robber ran away screaming! Scardy-cats!
Die vier Freunde sind dann eingezogen und haben das Räuberhaus ganz gemütlich eingerichtet.
The four friends moved in then, and furnished the robbers' house quite cozily for themselves.
Here are some key participle forms you should learn (all verbs that take sein are marked with *):
wake up stop breathe a sigh of relief stay up (person), stay open (store) perform (e.g., theater play) inform, enlighten, clear up liven up (a party, person) take a picture of (incl. video images) tidy/clean up (e.g., room) open (eyes, book) grow up surface, pop up (slang)
get out (of a bus) stand somebody educate, train break out print (e.g., text, picture) express freak out (flip out) publish, hand out go out, date laugh at (someone) turn off (light), put out (fire) take advantage of lock out, exclude pronounce die out, go extinct exchange
get in (a bus, train) invite break in (horse, into house) occur (to someone), come to mind introduce (a topic) intervene, step in go shopping, buy get used to earn, make money furnish (apartment) judge, guess (e.g., at size, value) fall asleep intimidate, bully throw in (e.g., remark, towel) move in (e.g., into house)
come with, come along get out (of a lecture), understand ride along sympathize participate, do something with others take along play along (in a sport) inform, share knowledge
make up (work, homework) run after someone (literally) imitate retell, relate (a story) follow, succeed (e.g., a king) give in (e.g., to pressure) chase after double check (e.g., essay, homework) look up (e.g., a word in a dictionary) follow somebody's example re-count (double check numbers)
read out loud play (e.g., a film) prepare order in advance (e.g., books) plan, have in mind come up, happen carry out a task introduce, imagine perform (play), give lecture/opinion
bring by drive by go/run past (e.g., a path) go past come by, come past (e.g., a house) have to go by talk around, not getting to the point shoot but miss
prepare (e.g., food) drive towards, get a move on (slang) admit, confess, permit/allow be closed (e.g., a store) close, shut, turn off (e.g., faucet) expect something of someone gain weight persuade somebody, encourage injure somebody accept, promise watch (e.g., sport event) attribute something to someone agree to pull together, move to an area (with sein)
get back stay behind look back bring back think back fly back answer a question with a question give back go back return, come back send back (e.g., mail) call back step back, pull back, withdraw pull back, withdraw