Overview
The verb kommen means to come in English. It is an essential verb in German used to express movement towards the speaker or a specific place. As an irregular verb, kommen has some changes in its stem vowel in the present tense and other forms.
Present Tense Conjugation
In the present tense, kommen shows a vowel change in some forms. The conjugation varies according to the subject pronoun. This tense is commonly used to indicate ongoing or future movement.
| German Pronoun | German Conjugation | English Conjugation | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | komme | I come / I am coming | Ich komme morgen zu dir. | I come to you tomorrow. |
| du | kommst | you come / you are coming | Kommst du mit? | Are you coming along? |
| er/sie/es | kommt | he/she/it comes | Er kommt aus Berlin. | He comes from Berlin. |
| wir | kommen | we come | Wir kommen gleich an. | We are coming soon. |
| ihr | kommt | you all come | Kommt ihr auch? | Are you all coming too? |
| sie/Sie | kommen | they/you (formal) come | Sie kommen heute Abend. | They are coming tonight. |
Past Tense (Perfect)
Kommen forms past actions with the auxiliary verb sein (to be) and the past participle gekommen. It is common to use the perfect tense in spoken German to express past events.
| German Pronoun | Auxiliary + Participle | English Equivalent | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | bin gekommen | I came / I have come | Ich bin gestern gekommen. | I came yesterday. |
| du | bist gekommen | you came / you have come | Du bist spät gekommen. | You came late. |
| er/sie/es | ist gekommen | he/she/it came / has come | Sie ist gerade gekommen. | She just came. |
| wir | sind gekommen | we came / we have come | Wir sind pünktlich gekommen. | We came on time. |
| ihr | seid gekommen | you all came | Ihr seid zusammen gekommen. | You all came together. |
| sie/Sie | sind gekommen | they/you (formal) came | Sie sind nicht gekommen. | They did not come. |
Usage Notes
Kommen is often used with prepositions such as aus (from), zu (to), and nach (towards a city or country), indicating movement origin or destination. It frequently appears in idiomatic expressions like Wie kommen Sie darauf? ("How do you come to that?"). The verb can also be used with separable prefixes to create related meanings (e.g., ankommen – to arrive).
Related Verbs
- ankommen – to arrive
- mitkommen – to come along
- zurückkommen – to come back
- auskommen – to get along with
Each of these verbs modifies kommen to express different nuances of coming or arriving.
Summary
The verb kommen is fundamental for indicating movement in German and is irregular in its present tense forms. Mastery of kommen and its conjugations is essential for basic communication about arrival, movement, and participation.
