VerbA1

kommen

to come (toward the speaker or a place) · to arrive · to come from (origin) · to happen, to come about

Kommen means 'to come' and is one of the most common German verbs. It is used for movement toward the speaker, for arriving, and in many idiomatic expressions. Learners should note that it forms the perfect tense with 'sein'.

What kommen means

  1. to come (toward the speaker or a place) — basic meaning of movement
  2. to arrive — reaching a destination
  3. to come from (origin) — with 'aus' to indicate origin
  4. to happen, to come about — in expressions like 'wie kommt es, dass...'

Heard in real German videos

Lines where kommen was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.

  • Sie kommt aus einer anderen Welt, Sumi.She comes from another world, Sumi.
  • Komm her, mein kleiner Freund.Come here, my little friend.
  • Pass auf, dass M nicht kommt.Watch out that M doesn't come.

Example sentences

  • Kommst du morgen zu meiner Party?Are you coming to my party tomorrow?
  • Er kommt aus Berlin.He comes from Berlin.
  • Der Brief kommt heute.The letter arrives today.
  • Wie kommt es, dass du schon hier bist?How come you are already here?

Grammar

Present (ich/du/er)komme, kommst, kommt
Simple pastkam
Perfectist gekommen
Separableno
Caseintransitive, no object

The perfect tense uses 'sein': 'Ich bin gekommen.'

Common phrases

  • nach Hause kommento come home
  • zur Schule kommento come to school
  • ins Kino kommento come to the cinema
  • Wie kommst du darauf?What makes you think that?
  • auf die Welt kommento be born

The mistake English speakers make

English speakers often use 'haben' instead of 'sein' in the perfect tense: 'Ich habe gekommen' is wrong; it must be 'Ich bin gekommen'.

Don’t confuse it with

  • gehen — gehen means 'to go' (away from speaker), kommen means 'to come' (toward speaker).
  • ankommen — ankommen means 'to arrive' and is separable; kommen is more general.

Questions learners ask

How do I conjugate 'kommen' in the present tense?

ich komme, du kommst, er/sie/es kommt, wir kommen, ihr kommt, sie/Sie kommen.

Does 'kommen' use 'sein' or 'haben' in the perfect tense?

It uses 'sein': 'Ich bin gekommen.'

What is the difference between 'kommen' and 'ankommen'?

'Kommen' means 'to come' in general, while 'ankommen' specifically means 'to arrive' at a destination.