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kommen
/ˈkɔmən/
to come
Wann kommst du nach Hause?
When are you coming home?
general
to move toward or arrive at a place where the speaker or subject is located
Er kommt jeden Morgen um 8 Uhr zur Arbeit.
He comes to work every morning at 8 o'clock.
Sie kommt aus Berlin.
She comes from Berlin.
Used for both physical movement and origin. Can also imply a change in state (e.g., 'Es kommt ein Gewitter.' = 'A storm is coming.').
general
to occur or happen
Was kommt als Nächstes?
What comes next?
Die Prüfung kommt bald.
The exam is coming soon.
Often used in future contexts or to introduce upcoming events.
general
to be derived from or belong to
Das Wort kommt aus dem Lateinischen.
The word comes from Latin.
Used to indicate the origin of something, especially languages or influences.
Collocations
zu sich kommento come to one's sensesin Frage kommento be consideredin Betracht kommento be taken into consideration
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Conjugation Pattern
Remember that 'kommen' is a strong verb with a vowel change in the past tense (kommen → kam → gekommen). Practice the present tense forms to build familiarity.
Gold Rule
Direction and Origin
Use 'kommen' for movement toward the speaker or subject (e.g., 'Ich komme zu dir.' = 'I'm coming to you.'). For movement away, use 'gehen' or 'fahren'.
Word Origin
From Old High German *queman*, from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną*, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew- ('to move, go'). Related to English 'come' and Dutch 'komen'.
Usage Notes
The verb 'kommen' is highly irregular in its conjugation (ich komme, du kommst, er/sie/es kommt, wir kommen, ihr kommt, sie/Sie kommen). It is often used with prepositions like 'aus' (from), 'zu' (to), or 'nach' (after/to) to indicate direction or origin.
Word Breakdown
kom-
root related to movement
root-men
infinitive verb ending
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