Verb particles are free or clitic morphemes that combine with verb stems to modify their meanings. They are comparable to pre xes, which they are related to on a morphologization cline and often even etymologically.
Combinations with verb stems (sometimes called particle verbs) constitute a subgroup of secondary predicates and should be distinguished from other subgroups (resultatives and depictives) as well as from compounds. Verb particles are widely attested in Slavic minority languages that were or have been in intense contact with German.