Some verbs have a prefix that moves around in the sentence, depending on what form the verb takes. You can expect the prefix to appear at the end of the sentence or clause, but whether the verb appears there with it depends on the rest of the sentence (tense, presence of a modal verb, etc.). In the infinitive form, the prefix is attached, like "ausgehen" ("to go out"). If the verb is conjugated (in present or simple past tense), the prefix appears at the end of the clause, as in "Ich gehe heute Abend aus" ("I am going out tonight"). The chart below shows several structural variants for these kinds of verbs. For more information, see the examples for individual verbs in the G-FOL or read these explanations from Grimm Grammar: present tense, conversational past tense (Perfekt).
| Die erste Stelle (first position) | V2 (verb 2nd) | Rest (the rest of the info) | am Ende (at the end) |
| Am Samstagabend | gehe | ich mit Freunden | aus. |
| Ich | ging | am Samstagabend mit Freunden | aus. |
| Mit Freunden | bin | ich am Samstagabend | ausgegangen. |
| Wann | gehe | ich mit Freunden | aus? |
| Ich | kann | nicht am Samstagabend mit Freunden | ausgehen. |