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German verbs that skip the English preposition

In English, many everyday actions need a little extra word: you pay for a meal, look at a picture, look for your keys or get rid of old clothes. German often expresses the same action with a single verb that takes a direct object in the accusative, with no preposition at all: das Essen bezahlen, ein Bild anschauen, den Schlüssel suchen, etwas loswerden.

English speakers tend to translate the preposition too and produce sentences like Ich bezahle für das Essen or Ich schaue an dem Bild. They sound foreign or are simply wrong. This article collects verbs where the English preposition or particle disappears in German.

Word list
anrufenA1 to call jemanden anrufen = call someone up beantwortenA1 to answer eine E-Mail beantworten = reply to an email anschauenA2 to look ein Bild anschauen = look at a picture ansehenA2 to look jemanden ansehen = look at someone bezahlenA2 to pay das Essen bezahlen = pay for the meal abonnierenB1 to subscribe einen Kanal abonnieren = subscribe to a channel durchblätternB1 to leaf through ein Buch durchblättern = leaf through a book heiratenB1 to marry jemanden heiraten = get married to someone suchenB1 to search den Schlüssel suchen = look for the key verlangenB1 to ask for Geld verlangen = ask for money wählenB1 to vote eine Partei wählen = vote for a party anstarrenB2 to stare jemanden anstarren = stare at someone aufgebenB2 to give up einen Plan aufgeben = give up on a plan aushaltenB2 to bear den Lärm nicht aushalten = not be able to put up with the noise berücksichtigenB2 to take into account etwas berücksichtigen = take something into account betrügenB2 to cheat seine Frau betrügen = cheat on one's wife bewältigenB2 to manage ein Problem bewältigen = cope with a problem bewundernB2 to look up to seinen Vater bewundern = look up to one's father ertragenB2 to bear den Lärm ertragen = put up with the noise loswerdenB2 to get rid of etwas loswerden = get rid of something missbilligenB2 to disapprove etwas missbilligen = disapprove of something überwindenB2 to overcome die Angst überwinden = get over one's fear verspottenB2 to make fun of jemanden verspotten = make fun of someone überdenkenC1 to reflect seine Entscheidung überdenken = reflect on one's decision verachtenC1 to look down on jemanden verachten = look down on someone
How it works

The German verb already contains the whole meaning, so the thing you pay, look at or search for is the direct object. It goes in the accusative, just like the object of sehen or kaufen. Sometimes a prefix such as an-, be-, über- or los- does the job of the English particle. Sometimes the verb simply takes a direct object, as with suchen.

Ich bezahle das Essen.
(I'll pay for the meal.)

Rule of thumb: when English says verb + preposition + thing, first check whether German just uses verb + accusative. The same happens with hören: you say Musik hören, never zu Musik hören. Other well-known cases are anhören (listen to), auslachen (laugh at), pflegen (care for) and betreuen (look after).

The words
Looking

anschauen and ansehen both mean to look at, anstarren means to stare at, and durchblättern means to leaf through. The prefix replaces the English preposition.

Warum schaust du mich so an?
(Why are you looking at me like that?)
Die Leute im Bus starren mich an.
(The people on the bus are staring at me.)
Im Wartezimmer durchblättere ich eine Zeitschrift.
(In the waiting room I leaf through a magazine.)
Getting and choosing

suchen (look for), verlangen (ask for) and wählen (vote for) all take the thing directly.

Ich suche meinen Schlüssel.
(I'm looking for my key.)
Der Vermieter verlangt mehr Geld.
(The landlord is asking for more money.)
Wen wählst du am Sonntag?
(Who are you voting for on Sunday?)
People and relationships

You anrufen someone (call someone up), beantworten a message (reply to it), heiraten someone (get married to them) and betrügen a partner (cheat on them).

Ruf mich an oder beantworte wenigstens meine Nachrichten!
(Call me up or at least reply to my messages!)
Sie heiratet ihren Freund im Mai.
(She's getting married to her boyfriend in May.)

Attitudes work the same way: bewundern (look up to), verachten (look down on), verspotten (make fun of).

Er hat seine Frau betrogen, und jetzt verachtet sie ihn.
(He cheated on his wife, and now she looks down on him.)
Heute bewundern alle sie, aber früher haben die Kinder sie verspottet.
(Today everyone looks up to her, but the kids used to make fun of her.)
Problems and difficulties

überwinden (get over), bewältigen (cope with), ertragen (put up with), loswerden (get rid of) and berücksichtigen (take into account).

Sie hat ihre Angst überwunden und die Prüfung gut bewältigt.
(She got over her fear and coped well with the exam.)
Ich kann den Lärm nicht mehr ertragen, ich will ihn einfach loswerden.
(I can't put up with the noise any more, I just want to get rid of it.)
Wir müssen das Wetter berücksichtigen.
(We have to take the weather into account.)
Watch out
  • anrufen takes the accusative: Ich rufe dich an, not dir. Mixing up the case is a very common mistake.
  • suchen nach also exists and means to search for, often more thoroughly: Die Polizei sucht nach dem Täter. Plain suchen is still the everyday choice.
  • verlangen nach has a different meaning, to long for or crave: Er verlangt nach Wasser. For asking for money or a price, use plain verlangen.
  • With bezahlen, für appears only when an amount is the object: Ich habe 20 Euro für das Essen bezahlt.
  • Related verbs may use a preposition: auf eine Frage antworten but eine Frage beantworten; für eine Partei stimmen but eine Partei wählen; mit jemandem verheiratet sein but jemanden heiraten.
Summary

When English needs a preposition or particle (pay for, look at, look for, get rid of, cope with), German often uses one verb with a plain accusative object: das Essen bezahlen, jemanden anschauen, den Schlüssel suchen, etwas loswerden. Don't translate the little English word. Put the thing straight after the verb in the accusative.