ver-

The Prefix Ver-

Level 4

Ver- builds verbs about change, loss or something going wrong, and it never takes ge-: Ek het my sleutels verloor. (I lost my keys.)

How It Works

1. An unstressed prefix. Ver- is never stressed. The stress falls on the part after it, as in verstaan (understand) and vertel (tell). Do not confuse it with the separate word ver (far), which is stressed: Die winkel is ver. (The shop is far.)

2. Change. Added to an adjective, ver- often means make or become that way:

  • beter (better) → verbeter (improve)
  • groot (big) → vergroot (enlarge)
  • kort (short) → verkort (shorten)
  • warm (warm) → verwarm (heat)

Verander (change) itself comes from ander (other).

3. Loss or going away. verloor (lose), vergeet (forget), verdwyn (disappear), verkoop (sell). Compare koop (buy) with verkoop (sell): the prefix sends the thing away from you.

4. Going wrong. verdwaal (get lost), jou verslaap (oversleep), jou verspreek (make a slip of the tongue). The last two are used with a reflexive pronoun (see reflexive pronouns): Ek het my verslaap. (I overslept.)

5. Everyday words. Many common verbs start with ver- without a clear extra meaning today: verstaan (understand), vertel (tell), verduidelik (explain), verwag (expect), vertrek (leave). Learn them as whole words.

6. No ge- in the past. Like other verbs with an unstressed prefix (see participles without ge-), a ver- verb has no ge-: Ek het dit vergeet. (I forgot it.) The prefix also never splits off, unlike the prefix of a separable verb.

7. Nouns. Ver- verbs often make nouns with -ing: verander → verandering (change), verduidelik → verduideliking (explanation).

Examples (6)

  1. Ek het my sleutels verloor.

    I lost my keys.

    Word by Word: I have my keys lost.

    Verloor has no ge- in the past.

  2. Ek verstaan nie wat jy sê nie.

    I don't understand what you're saying.

    Word by Word: I understand not what you say not.

  3. Ons wil ons Afrikaans verbeter.

    We want to improve our Afrikaans.

    Word by Word: We want our Afrikaans improve.

    Verbeter comes from beter (better): make better.

  4. Hulle het hulle huis verlede jaar verkoop.

    They sold their house last year.

    Word by Word: They have their house last year sold.

  5. Die toeriste het in die berge verdwaal.

    The tourists got lost in the mountains.

    Word by Word: The tourists have in the mountains got-lost.

  6. Ek het my vanoggend verslaap.

    I overslept this morning.

    Word by Word: I have myself this-morning overslept.

    Verslaap is used with a reflexive pronoun: my verslaap.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ge- to a ver- verb in the past.

    Ek het my sleutels geverloor.
    Ek het my sleutels verloor.

    Ver- is an unstressed prefix, so the participle has no ge-. The past form looks just like the verb: het verloor, het vergeet, het verstaan.

  • Using koop (buy) when you mean verkoop (sell).

    Ek het my ou fiets vir R500 gekoop.
    Ek het my ou fiets vir R500 verkoop.

    The first sentence says you bought your old bike. To say you sold it, use verkoop, which has no ge- in the past.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ver-Level 4The Prefix Ver-

Learn This First

Ver- is an inseparable prefix.

Words in This Pattern

ver-