There are a lot of separable prefixes, but a limited number of inseparable prefixes. To differentiate between separable and inseparable verbs, the easiest way is to memorize the following list of inseparable prefixes: be-, emp-, er-, ent-, ge-, ver-, and zer-. While translating German texts, it is helpful to remember variable prefixes and to check with the dictionary if there is more than one meaning to the verb in question. The most common separable prefixes look like prepositions (ab-, an-, auf-,