Dutch has four main inseparable prefixes that permanently attach to verbs and do not split off in sentences. Be- often makes an intransitive verb transitive or adds a sense of covering or dealing with: kijken (to look) becomes bekijken (to look at or examine), spreken (to speak) becomes bespreken (to discuss), werken (to work) becomes bewerken (to edit or process). The resulting verbs do not take ge- in the past participle: bekeken, besproken, bewerkt.
Ver- typically conveys change, movement away or doing something incorrectly: kopen (to buy) becomes verkopen (to sell), spreken becomes verspreken (to misspeak), anderen becomes veranderen (to change). Ver- verbs often describe transformation or deterioration. Like be-, ver- verbs drop the ge- in the past participle: verkocht, versproken, veranderd.
Ont- conveys removal, escape or the beginning of a process: vriezen becomes ontdooien (to thaw), vluchten becomes ontvluchten (to escape from), dekken becomes ontdekken (to discover). Recognising these patterns allows you to decode unfamiliar verbs on sight — if you see bewerken and know werken, you can infer a meaning related to working on or processing something. Building this prefix awareness multiplies your reading vocabulary dramatically.