Luxembourgish Perfect Tense – Separable verbs (Part 3)

Today you’ll learn how Luxembourgish separable verbs are used in the perfect tense. If you have not yet read the lesson where you learn the most used Luxembourgish verbs with sinn to build the perfect tense and the lesson where I explain how to build the perfect tense with regular verbs, make sure you do so before reading this lesson.

If you don’t know what separable verbs is I also recommend that you read this lesson.

1. Luxembourgish Regular Separable Verbs in the Perfect Tense

Let’s take the regular separable verb nolauschteren (to listen to / to obey).

The prefix is: no

The stem is: lauschter

To build the past participle we place +ge between the prefix and the stem and +t or +en is placed at the end. The standard rule is:

prefix +ge +stem +t / +en

The past participle is: no +ge +lauschter +t ⇒ nogelauschtert

Beispill

Hatt huet mir guer net nogelauschtert. – She didn’t listen to met at all.

Regular Separable Verbs with the ending t / en

aussichen (to choose / to select) ⇒ ausgesicht

eroflueden (to download) ⇒ erofgelueden

nokucken (to observe / to check) ⇒ nogekuckt

oppassen (to pay attention / to look after) ⇒ opgepasst

opschreiwen (to write down) ⇒ opgeschriwwen

sech umellen (to register / to sign up) ⇒ ugemellt

zoudecken (to cover) ⇒ zougedeckt

2. Irregular Separable Verbs in the Perfect Tense

Learn the past participle of the 25 most used irregular verbs.

Let’s take the  verb ofhuelen (to pick someone up, to lose weight)

The prefix is: of

The stem is: huelen

The past particple of the stem is: geholl

To build the past participle of such a separable verb we place the prefix followed by the past participle:

prefix +past participle of the stem

The past participle is: of + geholl ⇒ ofgeholl

Beispill

Ech hunn d’Kanner um 4 Auer an der Schoul ofgeholl. – I’ve picked up the children at the school at 4.00pm.

erëmfannen (to find back) ⇒ erëmfonnt

eroffalen (to fall down) ⇒ erofgefall

opfalen (to catch one’s eye) ⇒ opgefall

erausgoen (to go out) ⇒ erausgaang

eropgoen (to go up / increase) ⇒ eropgaang

ophuelen (to record / interprete) ⇒ opgeholl

ausmaachen (to switch off / to fix) ⇒ ausgemaach

zoumaachen (to close / shut) ⇒ zougemaach

ofsoen (to cancel) ⇒ ofgesot

ukommen (to arrive at destination) ⇒ ukomm

virkommen (to happen / seem) ⇒ virkomm

aschlofen (to fall asleep) ⇒ ageschlof

Learning tip

When you learn a new verb, learn it immediately with its past participle. This will help you to remember it easier in conversations and so you will sound more fluid.