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Prefixes (prefixes) in the English language

19.08.2024
4 minutes to read
Prefixes in English are like little words that come before the main word and change its meaning. For example, if you take the word “happy” and add the prefix “un-”, you get “unhappy”, which means the opposite. Pretty cool, huh? There are many such prefixes, and they help change the meaning of words in different ways. For example, “re-” means “again.” If you take the word “do” and add “re-”, you get “redo”. And the prefix “pre-” means “before”. With the word “view,” you get “preview.” When you know prefixes, you can understand new words faster.

Table of contents

Prefixes (or prefixes) in English are parts of words that are added to the beginning of words and change their meaning. They work almost the same way as prefixes in Russian, except they can have different meanings and are a little more complex. Prefixes help convey additional meanings: opposite, repetition of an action, temporal sequence, and more.
For example, the prefix “un-” is often used to indicate the opposite. If you take the word “happy” and add “un-”, you get “unhappy”. That's it - one little “un-” and the meaning changes to the exact opposite.
Another example is the prefix “re-”, which means “again” or “anew”. Take the word “write” and add “re-”. The result is “rewrite.” That is, the action is performed one more time.
There is also the prefix “pre-”, which shows that something happens before the main action. For example, “preview” is something you look at before you see the final version.
And if you add the prefix “dis-” to the word “agree,” you get “disagree.” This prefix is also used to show negation or the opposite.
When you begin to understand what prefixes mean, it becomes easier to parse difficult words. If you see an unfamiliar word, you can try to decode it. For example, if you see the word “unbelievable,” you can immediately guess that the prefix “un-” indicates the opposite, and “believable” is something you can believe in.
So prefixes are a great way to improve your understanding of English and expand your vocabulary!

What are prefixes and prefixes in English

The most common prefixes in the English language

There are a few prefixes in the English language that occur most often. If you learn them, it will seriously make it easier to understand and learn new words. Here are a few of the most common ones:
This table will help you memorize prefixes and their meanings so that you can understand new words more easily.
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