German Words Starting with VOR: Meanings and Examples

German words starting with VOR are built on one of the language’s most transparent prefixes: vor- means “before” or “in front of,” and nearly every word below carries that meaning visibly. Der Vorschlag (suggestion) is literally a “fore-sling” — something thrown forward. Die Vorsicht (caution) is “fore-sight.” Learn the prefix and you unlock the whole list at once.

Every entry below pronounces the V as F (“for-“) — no exceptions, since these are all native words. For the history of that quirk, see why German V sounds like F; for drills, how to pronounce German J and V.

German Words Starting with VOR: The Complete List

The core: vor and its directions

1. vor (“for”) — before (time); in front of (place). Vor dem Haus steht ein Baum. (In front of the house stands a tree.) / Vor einer Stunde. (An hour ago.) Takes dative for place, and no article gymnastics for time — learn both uses from the start.

2. vorbei (“for-BY”) — past; over. Der Zug ist vorbei. (The train has passed.) / Die Ferien sind vorbei. (The holidays are over.) Also “come by”: Komm doch vorbei! (Come on by!) — one of the friendliest invitations in German.

3. vorüber (“for-OO-ber”) — past, by; over. Der Sturm ist vorüber. (The storm is over.) Slightly more formal than vorbei; common in news and literature. Vorübergehend means “temporarily.”

4. vorher (“for-HAYR”) — before, beforehand. Ruf vorher an! (Call beforehand!) The time-adverb twin of vor: use vorher when no noun follows, vor + noun when one does.

5. vorwärts (“FOR-verts”) — forward. Gehe vorwärts, nicht zurück! (Go forward, not back!) The marching orders of progress — also the name of countless sports clubs (Vorwärts Berlin).

Home and stage: the vor- of place

6. der Vorhang (“FOR-hahng”) — curtain. Zieh den Vorhang zu! (Close the curtain!) Theater: der Vorhang fällt (the curtain falls) — the standard metaphor for endings.

7. der Vorort (“FOR-ort”) — suburb (administrative). Sie wohnen in einem Vorort. (They live in a suburb.) Slightly official; die Vorstadt (below) is the everyday word.

8. die Vorstadt (“FOR-shtaht”) — suburb, outskirts. Eine ruhige Vorstadt. (A quiet suburb.) Often carries a hint of “not quite the city” — Vorstadtjugend (suburban youth) is a whole sociological category.

9. der Vorrat (“FOR-raht”) — supply, stock. Wir haben Vorräte für den Winter. (We have supplies for the winter.) Usually plural: Vorräte anlegen (stock up). Pandemic-era word of the year, twice over.

10. das Vorwort (“FOR-vort”) — preface, foreword. Lies das Vorwort des Buches. (Read the book’s preface.) Literally “fore-word” — the words before the words.

People and positions

11. der Vorname (“FOR-nah-muh”) — first name. Wie ist dein Vorname? (What’s your first name?) The counterpart to der Nachname (surname) — forms ask for both, in that order.

12. der Vorsitzende (“for-ZIT-sen-duh”) — chairman, chairperson. Der Vorsitzende eröffnet die Sitzung. (The chairman opens the meeting.) Feminine: die Vorsitzende. Clubs, boards, committees — peak association-German (Vereinsdeutsch).

13. der Vorstand (“FOR-shtahnt”) — board (of directors). Der Vorstand tagt morgen. (The board meets tomorrow.) Corporate Germany runs on this word; Vorstandsmitglied (board member) is the full title.

Caution and advantage: the vor- of foresight

14. die Vorsicht (“FOR-zikht”) — caution, care. Vorsicht, Stufe! (Careful, step!) The warning on every German construction site and wet floor — learn to hear it before you need it.

15. vorsichtig (“FOR-zikh-tikh”) — careful, cautious. Sei vorsichtig im Verkehr! (Be careful in traffic!) Adjective/adverb in one: ein vorsichtiger Fahrer (a careful driver), vorsichtig fahren (drive carefully).

16. der Vorteil (“FOR-tyle”) — advantage. Das ist ein großer Vorteil. (That’s a big advantage.) Sports, business, negotiations — and its opposite der Nachteil (disadvantage) is equally essential.

17. das Vorurteil (“FOR-oor-tyle”) — prejudice. Vorurteile abbauen. (Break down prejudices.) Literally “pre-judgment” — the German word explains the concept better than the English one does.

18. der Vorsprung (“FOR-shproong”) — lead (in a race); head start. Er hat einen großen Vorsprung. (He has a big lead.) Sports commentary staple: den Vorsprung ausbauen (extend the lead).

Suggestions and presentations

19. der Vorschlag (“FOR-shlahk”) — suggestion, proposal. Ich habe einen Vorschlag. (I have a suggestion.) Business and everyday: einen Vorschlag machen (make a suggestion), einen Vorschlag annehmen/ablehnen (accept/reject).

20. vorschlagen (“FOR-shlah-gen”) — to suggest. Ich schlage vor, dass wir gehen. (I suggest we go.) Separable verb: ich schlage vor, du schlugst vor, vorgeschlagen. The vor detaches and goes to the end — classic German word order gymnastics.

21. die Vorstellung (“for-SHTEL-loong”) — introduction; performance; imagination. Darf ich mich vorstellen? (May I introduce myself?) / Die Vorstellung beginnt um 20 Uhr (The performance starts at 8 p.m.) / reine Vorstellung (pure imagination). Three meanings, one word — context is everything.

22. vorstellen (“FOR-shtel-en”) — to introduce; to imagine. Stell dir das mal vor! (Just imagine that!) Reflexive sich vorstellen covers both introducing yourself and imagining: Ich stelle mir das schön vor (I imagine it nicely).

23. der Vortrag (“FOR-trahk”) — presentation, lecture, talk. Er hält einen Vortrag. (He’s giving a talk.) Academic and professional: einen Vortrag halten is the standard collocation, not machen.

24. die Vorbereitung (“for-beh-RY-toong”) — preparation. Gute Vorbereitung ist alles. (Good preparation is everything.) Usually plural in practice: die Vorbereitungen laufen (preparations are underway).

25. vorbereiten (“FOR-beh-ry-ten”) — to prepare. Bereite dich gut vor! (Prepare yourself well!) Separable: the vor hops to the end — Ich bereite das Meeting vor (I’m preparing the meeting).

Time, reading, and forecasting

26. der Vormittag (“FOR-mit-tahk”) — morning, forenoon. Am Vormittag arbeite ich. (I work in the morning.) Technically “before midday” — German splits the day finer than English: Vormittag vs. Nachmittag.

27. die Vorlesung (“FOR-lay-zoong”) — (university) lecture. Die Vorlesung fällt aus. (The lecture is canceled.) University-specific: school lessons are der Unterricht, university lectures are die Vorlesung.

28. vorlesen (“FOR-lay-zen”) — to read aloud. Sie liest den Kindern vor. (She reads to the children.) Separable verb; the vor again goes last: Lies mir das vor! (Read that to me!)

29. die Vorhersage (“for-HAYR-zah-guh”) — forecast, prediction. Die Wettervorhersage verspricht Sonne. (The weather forecast promises sun.) Weather, elections, economics — Germans forecast everything.

30. vorhersagen (“for-HAYR-zah-gen”) — to predict, forecast. Niemand kann die Zukunft vorhersagen. (Nobody can predict the future.) Separable: sagt vorher, vorhergesagt. Meteorologists’ favorite verb.

The Vor- Prefix Decoded: Before, In Front, Ahead

Nearly every word above is vor + something, and the “before/in front” meaning shines through beautifully. This is what makes the vor- family the easiest prefix group in German to master: unlike ver-, which juggles four different jobs, vor- has essentially one meaning with three applications. Internalize those three and the entire list becomes self-explanatory — you will find yourself correctly guessing words you have never seen before, which is the hallmark of real vocabulary acquisition rather than memorization.

• Time-before: vorher (beforehand), der Vormittag (before midday), die Vorbereitung (preparation — before the deed), die Vorhersage (fore-saying — saying before)
• Place-before: der Vorhang (fore-hang — hangs before the stage), der Vorort (fore-place), das Vorwort (fore-word)
• Rank-before: der Vorsprung (fore-leap — the lead), der Vorteil (fore-part — the advantage), der Vorsitzende (the one who sits before/in front)
• Mind-before: die Vorsicht (fore-sight — caution), das Vorurteil (pre-judgment), vorsichtig (foresighted)

When you meet an unknown vor- word, ask: “what is before what?” The answer is usually the definition. Der Vorrat? What is stored before it is needed — supplies. Vorbei? Gone before/past — over. The prefix is a definition machine, and it never breaks its core promise.

Compare with the sister prefix ver- (see our VER words list): where ver- transforms, intensifies, or misdirects, vor- simply positions — before in time, before in space, before in rank. Learn both prefixes and German vocabulary starts feeling engineered rather than arbitrary. Because, in a real sense, it is.

Vor- Words Learners Always Confuse

• vorbei vs. vorüber. Both mean “past/over,” but vorbei is the everyday word (Die Party ist vorbei — The party’s over) while vorüber is formal and literary (Die Krise ist vorüber — The crisis has passed). Use vorbei in speech; recognize vorüber in writing.
• der Vorort vs. die Vorstadt. Both translate as “suburb,” but Vorort is administrative (a suburb as a municipality) and Vorstadt is descriptive (the outskirts as a place). Sie wohnt in einem Vorort von München (official) vs. eine typische Vorstadt (a typical suburb).
• der Vorschlag vs. die Vorstellung. A Vorschlag is a suggestion you make to others; a Vorstellung is an introduction you perform, a show you attend, or an idea in your head. Einen Vorschlag machen vs. sich vorstellen — different verbs, different worlds.
• vorschlagen vs. vorstellen. To suggest vs. to introduce/imagine. Ich schlage einen Kompromiss vor (I suggest a compromise) vs. Ich stelle mich vor (I introduce myself). The separable verbs look alike; the meanings do not overlap at all.
• der Vortrag vs. die Vorlesung. A Vortrag is a talk you give (conference, club, company); a Vorlesung is specifically a university lecture. A professor hält eine Vorlesung; a guest speaker hält einen Vortrag.
• vorher vs. vor + time. Ruf vorher an (call beforehand) vs. ruf vor dem Meeting an (call before the meeting). Vorher stands alone; vor needs a noun partner.

More Vor- Words to Grow Into

Ten more high-value vor- words for when the core thirty feel comfortable:

• der Vorwurf (“FOR-voorf”) — reproach, accusation. Er machte ihr Vorwürfe. (He reproached her.) Usually plural: Vorwürfe machen.
• die Vorfreude (“FOR-froy-duh”) — anticipation, joyful expectation. Die Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude. (Anticipation is the greatest joy.) A famously untranslatable German favorite.
• der Vorzug (“FOR-tsook”) — preference; advantage. Den Vorzug geben. (To give preference.) Slightly formal — menus (Vorzugspreis — special price) and contracts.
• der Vorbote (“FOR-boh-tuh”) — harbinger, forerunner. Die ersten Blumen sind Vorboten des Frühlings. (The first flowers herald spring.) Literary and lovely.
• vorlaut (“FOR-lowt”) — precocious, forward (of children). Ein vorlautes Kind. (A precocious child.) Mildly disapproving — the German auntie’s favorite adjective.
• der Vorreiter (“FOR-ry-ter”) — pioneer, trailblazer. Ein Vorreiter der Bewegung. (A pioneer of the movement.) Literally “fore-rider” — the cavalry metaphor survives.
• die Vorwahl (“FOR-vahl”) — primary election; area code. Die Vorwahl gewinnt. (Wins the primary.) / Die Vorwahl von Berlin ist 030. Context decides.
• der Vorabend (“FOR-ah-bent”) — the eve (of). Am Vorabend der Hochzeit. (On the eve of the wedding.) Formal and festive.
• voreilig (“for-EYE-likh”) — hasty, premature. Ein voreiliges Urteil. (A hasty judgment.) Vor- + eilig (hurried) — before thinking, as it were.
• die Vorhut (“FOR-hoot”) — vanguard, advance guard. Die Vorhut der Wandergruppe. (The advance party of the hiking group.) Military origin, now general.

Same rules throughout: “for-” pronunciation, the before/fore meaning, learnable as a system.

8 Phrases with VOR Words

1. Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht. — Caution beats indulgence. (A very German proverb.)
2. Darf ich mich vorstellen? — May I introduce myself? (The polite standard.)
3. Ich habe einen Vorschlag. — I have a suggestion. (Meetings, everywhere.)
4. Komm doch mal vorbei! — Come on by sometime! (Warm, informal invitation.)
5. Das ist vorbei. — That’s over. (Relationships, eras, bad weather.)
6. Im Vorteil sein. — To have the advantage. (Wir sind im Vorteil.)
7. Ohne Vorbereitung. — Without preparation. (Usually followed by disaster.)
8. Der Vorhang fällt. — The curtain falls. (Endings, literal and figurative.)

Key Takeaways

These 30 German words starting with VOR are really one word — vor (before/in front of) — wearing thirty costumes. Learn the prefix’s three jobs (time-before, place-before, rank-before) and each new vor- word decodes itself: Vorschlag (thrown forward), Vorsicht (seen beforehand), Vorteil (the fore-part), Vorrat (stored beforehand). Pronounce them all with the F sound (“for-“), learn the separable verbs (vorschlagen, vorbereiten, vorlesen, vorstellen) with their split word order, and watch for the confusion pairs (vorbei/vorüber, Vorschlag/Vorstellung). Pair this list with the VER words to own both of German’s great V-prefixes — and with the 50 V words for the vocabulary that is not prefix-built.