übergehen: Why "Ich gehe über die Frage" and not "Ich gehe die Frage über"?

Question

"Übergehen" exists as a particle-verb and as a prefix-verb, like "umfahren".

I've learnt that the separable part, the particle that also looks like a preposition, has to be placed at the end of the sentence (in simple statements).

Ich fahre die Laterne um.

So how come we suddenly place the particle in front of the object with "über":

Ich gehe über die Fragen.

And it is not correct to place it at the end:

Ich gehe die Fragen über.

I don't know if this is incorrect grammar-wise, but it sounds wrong to my ears. It seems obligatory to place "die Fragen" behind the particle. The same is the case with "überfliegen".

Er flog über die Fragen.

But not the same with umfahren:

Er fuhr die Person um.

While "Er fuhr um die Person" has the meaning of "umfahren", which would be

Er umfuhr die Person.

So "fuhr um die Person" uses the prepositional phrase "um die Person" and has little to do with the verb "umfahren".

And we can do the same with "übergehen":

Ich gehe über die Brücke.

Now "über die Brücke" is a prepositional phrase like "um die Person" and the verb is "gehen", not "umgehen".

With this comparison, I wanted to demonstrate why I am confused about the placement of the particle "über".

Edit note: I think this is incorrect German, or at least Umgangssprache. I can't find this usage of übergehen in any online dictionary. The prefix is always at the end of the phrase in the examples. I also do not think this is an example of Ausklammerung.

Answer 1

You are aware that both verbs "übergehen" and "umfahren" can have two different meanings, where in one case the verb gets separated and in the other not.

Additionally there can be combinations of a verb and a preposition "gehen" + "um" or "fahren" + "über" that look similar.

There are (slight) differcenes in the meaning between the verb with a prepositional phrase and the prefixed verb.

Examples:

Ich umfahre die Person.

I drive around the person. in the sense of: I avoid the person (while driving).
verb infinitive: um'fahren (' used to mark the stress), non-separated

Ich fahre die Person um.

I run over the person.
verb infinitive: 'umfahren, particle part last

Ich fahre um die Person.

I drive around the person. (somewhere near, maybe several times)
verb infinitive: fahren + preposition um, preposition at the beginning of the prepositional phrase

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Ich umfahre die Stadt.

I avoid the city. (by driving a different route, e.g. because of a traffic jam)

Ich fahre um die Stadt.

I drive around the city. (e.g. by using a ring-like road around it

---

Ich übergehe die Brücke.

I ignore the bridge.
verb infinitive: über'gehen, non-separated

Ich gehe zur Brücke über.

I move on to the bridge. (e.g. in a discussion)
verb infinitive: 'übergehen, particle part last

Note that I had to use a prepositional phrase "zur Brücke". With an object "die Brücke" it would be wrong because "'übergehen" is an intransitive verb.

You could also say

Ich gehe über zur Brücke.

This is possible because "zur Brücke" is a prepositional phrase, not an object.

Ich gehe über die Brücke.

I walk over the bridge.
verb infinitive: gehen + preposition über, preposition at the beginning of the prepositional phrase

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The example

Ich gehe über die Fragen.

is a use of "gehen" with a prepositional phrase. In this sense it is grammatically correct, but sounds strange. It might be understood like "Ich gehe die Fragen durch." I would rather say it's wrong, not colloquial use.

Answer 2

Ich gehe über die Fragen

is actually something else then

Ich übergehe die Fragen

The first sentence means that "I will discuss each of the questions and discuss them" while the second sentence means "I will ignore the questions". In the first sentence "über" is a proposition while in the second it's part of the verb.

Both sentences are grammatical btw.