Prefix Verbs Explained

Prefix Verbs Explained – “ausmachen”

A fun look at the various meanings of "ausmachen" and what turning something off has to do with agreements, findings and bothering. Also: rausmachen.
By: Emanuel| 62 Comments | Updated: January 15, 2026

ausmachen-rausmachen-meanin

Hello everyone,

and welcome to a new episode of German Prefix Verbs explained. And I hope you’re concentrated because today we’ll look at one of the crazier ones. Get ready for the many meanings of

ausmachen

 

If you want just a quick overview of the meanings, you can find it in my second project – the prefix verb dictionary.

There, you can find a lot of the most common prefix verbs like angehen, bekommen or aufmachen, and you don’t only get hand made translations that actually make sense and that come with audio examples – no, you also get a really cool an unique interface that let’s you explore prefixes and verbs like nowhere else. It’s a new project, but growing fast, so check it out :)

German Prefix Verb Dictionary – “ausmachen”

But now, let’s get started with a more in depth look.

Aus is one of the most productive productive prefixes out there and machen is one of the verbest verbs ever. Yeah, that made no sense. But hey, you all know how common machen is. It means to make and also to do, and as if that wasn’t enough it’s also often used as a fall back if other options are hard to find.

  • Soll ich die Teller in die Kiste machen?
  • Should I put (“make”) the plates into the box?

This is not exactly beautiful language, but just recently I heard someone say that. And I totally felt him. I was like “Yeah man. Make that stuff into the box, man.” The thing is that neither stellen nor legen sound quite right there.
Anyways, back to our verb. The prefix aus can add two notions to a verb: switched off-ness and outside-ness. And guess which one it adds to machen.
Exactly.
Both.

Already a member? Log in here
4.7 13 votes
Article Rating

This article belongs to the following series:

Prefix Verbs Explained
Emanuel

Emanuel Creator & Author

World's best teacher of German words and grammar. Full Bio →

German Grammar • Vocabulary • Etymology

Prefix Verbs Explained – “ausmachen” - Key Questions

'Ausmachen' is a super versatile verb in German. Its main meanings are: to turn off (like a device), to make out or recognize something, to agree on something with someone, and to have an effect or make a difference (often used as 'to mind' or 'to bother').

If you want to say you're turning something off, 'ausmachen' is your go-to word. For example:
·Ich mache das Licht aus.
·I turn off the light.
It's the most common way to talk about switching off things like lights or devices in everyday German.

Yep! When two people decide on something together, like a meeting time or a deal, you use 'ausmachen'. For example:
·Wir müssen noch einen Termin ausmachen.
·We still have to agree on/make an appointment.
It always involves both parties making the decision.

You can use 'ausmachen' to say if something bothers you or not. The phrase 'mir macht das nichts aus' means 'I don't mind' or 'That doesn't bother me.' For example:
·Die Hitze macht mir nichts aus.
·The heat doesn't bother me.
This is really common when talking about things that have a (usually negative) effect on you.

'Rausmachen' means to remove or take out something that was inside before. It's a bit more specific than 'ausmachen' and is often used for taking out batteries, contact lenses, or other stuff. For example:
·Wenn man das Handy lange nicht benutzt, sollte man den Akku rausmachen.
·If you don't use your phone for a long time, you should take out the battery.

'Ausmachen' is the most common way to say 'turn off' when a person is doing the action. 'Ausschalten' is also used, especially for machines, and 'ausgehen' is used when something turns off by itself. For example, you can't say 'Der Bildschirm macht sich selbst aus,' but 'Der Bildschirm geht aus' sounds just right.