My First Month in Berlin: Talking About My Free Time (and Separable Verbs!)

Okay, so let me start by saying: Berlin is… a lot. Seriously. It’s amazing, the people are generally friendly, and the coffee is incredible. But I’m a complete newbie here, trying to build a life, and honestly, I’m struggling with the everyday stuff, especially talking about what I do when I’m not just wandering around in a state of bewildered excitement. I’m taking a German course twice a week, and it’s helping, but there’s a specific thing that keeps tripping me up – separable verbs. It’s making simple conversations feel incredibly awkward.

The Problem with “Anlegen”

Yesterday, I was at the Baurhaus with a few colleagues from work (I work in a small IT firm – mostly spreadsheets and stress, but hey!). We were chatting about our weekends, and I really wanted to say I went for a Wandern (hike). I blurted out, “Am Wochenende habe ich anlege in den Bergen!” (On the weekend, I went hiking in the mountains!).

Everyone just stared at me. Then one of my colleagues, Steven, gently said, “Du meinst angelegt? ‘Anlegen’ bedeutet ‘einrichten’, nicht ‘wandern’.” (‘You mean angelegt? ‘Anlegen’ means ‘to set up,’ not ‘to hike.’’)

It was mortifying. I felt my face turn red. I knew it was something to do with how the verb was constructed, but I just couldn’t quite get it right. It’s not like English – we just say “I went hiking.”

What Are Separable Verbs?

Basically, separable verbs in German are verbs where a prefix (like an, aus, ein, her, mit, vor) separates from the main verb stem when used in certain tenses. It’s completely different from how we build sentences in English.

The prefix goes to the end of the sentence, and then you need to add the prefix back in the past tense. It’s confusing, right?

Examples I’ve Encountered

Let’s look at some more examples, and hopefully, this will start to make sense.

• Aufstehen (to get up) – “Ich stehe um 7 Uhr auf.” (I get up at 7 o’clock.) Notice the ‘auf’ at the end of the sentence.
• Zuhausegehen (to go home) – “Ich gehe heute Abend zuhause.” (I’m going home tonight.) Again, “zuhause” comes at the end.
• Einladen (to invite) – “Ich habe meine Freundin ein.” (I invited my friend.) You say “Ich habe ihn ein.”

My Own Mishaps – and How to Fix Them

I’ve made a few other… memorable mistakes. Last week, I tried to tell my landlord, Herr Schmidt, that I ausgehe (go out) with friends. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Mit wem ausgehen?” (With whom are you going out?). I realized I had completely messed up the verb construction.

The key, I’m learning, is to listen carefully to how native speakers form the sentence, and then slowly try to mimic them.

Useful Phrases & Vocabulary

Here’s some useful vocabulary related to talking about free-time activities:

• Sport treiben (to do sports) – “Ich treibe Sport, ich gehe schwimmen.” (I do sports, I go swimming.)
• Musik hören (to listen to music) – “Ich höre viel Musik, besonders im Moment Klassik.” (I listen to a lot of music, especially at the moment classical music.)
• Ins Kino gehen (to go to the cinema) – “Wir sind gestern ins Kino gegangen.” (We went to the cinema yesterday.)
• Einen Film schauen (to watch a film) – “Ich schaue oft Filme im Bett.” (I often watch films in bed.)

A Little Practice – Let’s Try a Dialogue

Okay, here’s a tiny dialogue I’m trying to get right:

Me: “Was machst du am Wochenende?” (What do you do on the weekend?)

Friend: “Ich gehe oft ins Fitnessstudio und lese ein Buch.” (I often go to the gym and read a book.)

Me: “Ich… gehe oft ins Fitnessstudio, aber ich lese auch gerne ein Buch.” (I… I often go to the gym, but I also like to read a book.)

It still feels a bit clunky, but I’m getting there!

Final Thoughts (For Now!)

Learning German is proving to be a slow process. These separable verbs are a massive hurdle, but I’m determined to master them. It’s not just about grammar; it’s about connecting with people and genuinely understanding their conversations. I know I’ll have more embarrassing moments, but hopefully, with a little practice and a lot of listening, I’ll be ordering my Brotzeit (sandwich) and chatting about my Hobbys (hobbies) with confidence soon. Wish me luck!