Ankommen: Examples, Sentences and Quiz in German

Introduction

Ankommen means “to arrive”, and it is one of the most useful verbs in German — you will meet it in conversation, in books, in films and in every textbook. This page puts the verb to work: twelve example sentences across the tenses, a short dialogue you can act out, a tour of the verb in its most important tenses, the mistakes learners make most often, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Every form on this page comes from the verified conjugation tables for ankommen, so you can trust what you read here. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.

Example sentences

Twelve sentences with ankommen, in different tenses and with different subjects. Read the German first, guess the meaning, then check the English.

  1. “Ich komme um neun Uhr in Berlin an jeden Tag.” — “I arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin every day.”
  2. “Du kommst pünktlich am Bahnhof an jeden Tag.” — “You arrive on time at the station every day.”
  3. “Ich bin am Abend zu Hause angekommen gestern.” — “I have arrived at home in the evening yesterday.”
  4. “Er kam um neun Uhr in Berlin an gestern.” — “He arrived at nine o'clock in Berlin yesterday.”
  5. “Wir werden pünktlich am Bahnhof ankommen morgen.” — “We will arrive on time at the station tomorrow.”
  6. “Du bist am Abend zu Hause angekommen gestern.” — “You have arrived at home in the evening yesterday.”
  7. “Ich käme um neun Uhr in Berlin an eines Tages.” — “I would arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin one day.”
  8. “Es ist wichtig, dass er ankomme pünktlich am Bahnhof.” — “It is important that he arrive on time at the station.”
  9. “Wir waren am Abend zu Hause angekommen vor der Party.” — “We had arrived at home in the evening before the party.”
  10. “Er wird um neun Uhr in Berlin ankommen morgen.” — “He will arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin tomorrow.”
  11. “Sie kommen pünktlich am Bahnhof an jeden Tag.” — “They arrive on time at the station every day.”
  12. “Komm am Abend zu Hause an!” — “Arrive at home in the evening!”

A short dialogue

Lena and Jonas are talking about at nine o'clock in Berlin. Read the dialogue aloud, one voice per person, and notice how ankommen changes with the tense and the subject. Every form of ankommen below is taken from the verified tables.

Lena: “Du kommst um neun Uhr in Berlin an jeden Tag.” — “You arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin every day.” Jonas: “Ich komme um neun Uhr in Berlin an jeden Tag.” — “I arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin every day.” Lena: “Du wirst pünktlich am Bahnhof ankommen morgen.” — “You will arrive on time at the station tomorrow.” Jonas: “Ich werde pünktlich am Bahnhof ankommen morgen.” — “I will arrive on time at the station tomorrow.” Lena: “Du bist am Abend zu Hause angekommen gestern.” — “You have arrived at home in the evening yesterday.” Jonas: “Ich bin am Abend zu Hause angekommen gestern.” — “I have arrived at home in the evening yesterday.” Lena: “Du kämest um neun Uhr in Berlin an eines Tages.” — “You would arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin one day.” Jonas: “Ich käme um neun Uhr in Berlin an eines Tages.” — “I would arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin one day.”

Notice how the dialogue moves through time: the present for what is happening now, the future for tomorrow, the Perfekt for yesterday, and Konjunktiv II for what someone would do one day. The verb stays the same — only the tense changes — and that is the whole point of learning a conjugation table: one verb, many moments.

Ankommen in different tenses

The same verb does different jobs in different tenses. Here are the six uses of ankommen that matter most, each with a sentence you can copy and adapt.

The present: habits and facts

In the present, ankommen describes habits, facts and what is happening now. The ich form is komme an: “Ich komme um neun Uhr in Berlin an jeden Tag.” — “I arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin every day.”

The preterite: the past in stories

In the preterite, ankommen describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories. The er form is kam an: “Er kam pünktlich am Bahnhof an gestern.” — “He arrived on time at the station yesterday.”

The Perfekt: finished actions

In the Perfekt, ankommen reports one finished action, built with sein plus the participle angekommen. The ich form is bin angekommen: “Ich bin am Abend zu Hause angekommen gestern.” — “I have arrived at home in the evening yesterday.”

The future: what will happen

In the future, ankommen talks about what will happen. The wir form is werden ankommen: “Wir werden um neun Uhr in Berlin ankommen morgen.” — “We will arrive at nine o'clock in Berlin tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv II: what would happen

In Konjunktiv II, ankommen talks about what would happen. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive expresses the same meaning. The du form is kämest an: “Du kämest pünktlich am Bahnhof an eines Tages.” — “You would arrive on time at the station one day.”

Konjunktiv I: reported speech

In Konjunktiv I, ankommen appears in reported speech, after triggers such as es ist wichtig, dass. The form is ankomme, and the sentence keeps the same complement as the other tenses: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich ankomme am Abend zu Hause.” — “It is important that I arrive at home in the evening.”

Common mistakes

Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich ankommen um neun Uhr in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Ich komme an um neun Uhr in Berlin.”

The infinitive ankommen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated form komme an.

Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Du komme an um neun Uhr in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Du kommst an um neun Uhr in Berlin.”

komme an is the ich form. With du you need kommst an. Check the subject before you choose the form.

Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich komme an um neun Uhr in Berlin gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin um neun Uhr in Berlin angekommen gestern.”

The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt bin angekommen, not the present.

Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass du kommst an pünktlich am Bahnhof.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass du ankommest pünktlich am Bahnhof.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I: ankommest, not the indicative kommst an.

Forgetting the auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich angekommen um neun Uhr in Berlin.”

✓ Right: “Ich bin um neun Uhr in Berlin angekommen.”

The Perfekt of ankommen needs the auxiliary sein plus the participle angekommen: the full ich form is bin angekommen.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on ankommen. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the ich form of ankommen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) komme an
    • B) kommst an
    • C) kommt an
    • D) kommen an

  2. What is the du form of ankommen in the Present (Präsens)?

    • A) kommt an
    • B) kommen an
    • C) kommst an
    • D) komme an

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of ankommen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) bist angekommen
    • B) sind angekommen
    • C) ist angekommen
    • D) bin angekommen

  4. What is the wir form of ankommen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) kamt an
    • B) kamen an
    • C) kam an
    • D) kamst an

  5. What is the du form of ankommen in the Future (Futur I)?

    • A) werden ankommen
    • B) wirst ankommen
    • C) werde ankommen
    • D) wird ankommen

  6. What is the ich form of ankommen in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) käme an
    • B) kämest an
    • C) kämen an
    • D) kämet an

  7. What is the er/sie/es form of ankommen in the Konjunktiv I?

    • A) komme an
    • B) kommest an
    • C) kommen an
    • D) kommet an

  8. What is the ich form of ankommen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) war angekommen
    • B) warst angekommen
    • C) waren angekommen
    • D) wart angekommen

  9. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of ankommen?

    • A) eingestiegen
    • B) ausgestiegen
    • C) angekommen
    • D) abgefahren

  10. What does ankommen mean in English?

  • A) to arrive
  • B) to depart
  • C) to get in
  • D) to get out

Answer key

  1. A) komme an — the ich form of ankommen in the Present (Präsens) is komme an. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) kommst an — the du form of ankommen in the Present (Präsens) is kommst an. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. C) ist angekommen — the er/sie/es form of ankommen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is ist angekommen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. B) kamen an — the wir form of ankommen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is kamen an. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) wirst ankommen — the du form of ankommen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst ankommen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. A) käme an — the ich form of ankommen in the Konjunktiv II is käme an. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. A) komme an — the er/sie/es form of ankommen in the Konjunktiv I is komme an. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) war angekommen — the ich form of ankommen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is war angekommen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. C) angekommen — the past participle of ankommen is angekommen. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) to arrive — ankommen means “to arrive” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does ankommen mean in English?

ankommen means “to arrive”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is ankommen regular or irregular?

ankommen is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Partizip I is ankommend and Partizip II is angekommen.

How do I practise ankommen every day?

Say one sentence with ankommen in the present, one in the Perfekt and one in the future every day, using the examples on this page as models — for example, “Ich komme um neun Uhr in Berlin an jeden Tag.”, “Ich bin um neun Uhr in Berlin angekommen gestern.” and “Ich werde um neun Uhr in Berlin ankommen morgen.”. Then take the quiz again and check your answers against the key.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ankommen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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