Wiederkehren

Wiederkehren is a German verb meaning to return again, to recur, or to reappear. It covers both the act of returning to a place and the recurrence of a phenomenon, event, or state. In translation, it can be rendered as “to come back” or “to recur.”

Usage: In everyday language, examples include: “Der Vogel kehrt jedes Frühjahr in sein Brutgebiet zurück.” (The bird returns to its breeding ground each spring.) “Nach der Behandlung kehren die Symptome wieder.” (After treatment, the symptoms recur.) In literary and academic contexts, the term is used to describe the recurrence of motifs or images. In philosophy or theology, it can refer to cycles of history or fate, as in discussions of historical or metaphysical recurrence.

Morphology: The verb is typically written as a single word. The past participle is wiedergekehrt. Present tense forms include ich kehre wieder, du kehrst wieder, er kehrt wieder; simple past forms include ich kehrte wieder, er kehrte wieder. The compound form is often used with perfect tenses, e.g., „ist wiedergekehrt.“

Related terms: The noun Wiederkehr denotes return or recurrence in general, while Wiederkunft is commonly used in philosophical or theological contexts to describe a notable or expected coming again. The related verb zurückkehren emphasizes returning to a specific place or destination, whereas wiederkehren stresses the aspect of recurrence or reappearance.

See also: recurrence, return, back, Wiederkehr des Gleichen (a phrase used in literature and philosophy to discuss the idea of repetitive sameness).