zurückkommen

Zurückkommen is a German verb meaning to come back or to return to a place, situation, or topic. It is used for people returning home or from a trip, as well as for objects being brought back. The verb is separable: in the present tense, the prefix zurück is separated from the main verb kommen, so you say Ich komme heute Abend zurück. In subordinate clauses the prefix is attached to the verb, as in Wenn ich heute Abend zurückkomme.

Morphology and usage: zurückkommen is primarily intransitive, describing a return to a location. It forms compound tenses with the auxiliary sein: Ich bin heute früh zurückgekommen. The past participle is zurückgekommen. In questions and imperatives, the separable prefix can appear at the end or in the appropriate position: Komm doch später zurück! or Wann kommst du zurück? The verb can also be used with time expressions and prepositional phrases such as aus dem Urlaub, aus dem Ausland, or in contexts like den Anschluss nicht verpassen, meaning to return in order to catch up or reconnect.

Related terms and nuances: a closely related verb is zurückkehren, which is slightly more formal or literary and often emphasizes returning to a place or home rather than resuming a topic. Heimkehren shares a similar sense but focuses on returning home. Zurückkommen can also be used figuratively, for example to return to a previous state, a topic in conversation, or a plan after an interruption.

Examples: Ich komme morgen aus dem Urlaub zurück. Wann kommst du zurück? Wir mussten kurz warten, bevor wir zurückkamen.