ankommen
Der Zug kommt um 15 Uhr in Berlin an.
The train arrives in Berlin at 3 PM.
to arrive at a place
Wann kommst du zu Hause an?
When will you arrive home?
Sie ist pünktlich am Flughafen angekommen.
She arrived at the airport on time.
Often used with prepositions like 'in', 'an', 'bei', or 'zu' depending on the destination (e.g., 'ankommen in' for cities/countries, 'ankommen an' for specific locations like a station).
to matter, to be important
Es kommt darauf an, was du bevorzugst.
It depends on what you prefer.
Für mich kommt es nur auf die Qualität an.
For me, only the quality matters.
Commonly used in the phrase 'es kommt auf ... an' (it depends on ...).
to reach a certain state or condition
Die Pflanze kommt ohne viel Wasser aus.
The plant manages without much water.
Often paired with 'auf' or 'zu' (e.g., 'auf etwas kommen' = to come up with something).
Collocations
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Prepositions with 'ankommen'
Use 'in' for cities/countries (e.g., 'in Berlin ankommen'), 'an' for specific locations (e.g., 'am Bahnhof ankommen'), and 'bei' for people/places (e.g., 'bei mir ankommen').
Gold Rule
Auxiliary verb for 'ankommen'
Always use 'sein' as the auxiliary verb in the perfect tense (e.g., 'Ich bin angekommen', not 'Ich habe angekommen').
Word Origin
From Middle High German 'ankomen', from Old High German 'ankuman', from 'an-' (toward) + 'koman' (to come). Cognate with English 'come' and Dutch 'aankomen'.
Usage Notes
The verb 'ankommen' is separable (ankommen → kommt an). In the perfect tense, it uses 'sein' as the auxiliary verb (e.g., 'Ich bin angekommen').