zurückkommt

Zurückkommen is a German verb meaning to come back or to return to a place or situation after an absence. It is a separable-prefix verb formed from the prefix zurück- (back) and the verb kommen (to come). The separable prefix affects word order in different tenses: in simple present or past tenses the prefix is typically separated, while in the perfect and in subordinate clauses it is attached to the participle or the verb form.

Conjugation and forms: In the present tense, the prefix is separated: ich komme heute Abend zurück, du kommst zurück, er kommt zurück. The simple past is expressed with kam zurück, kamen zurück, etc. The perfect tense uses the auxiliary sein with the past participle: ich bin zurückgekommen, du bist zurückgekommen, er ist zurückgekommen. In dependent clauses the finite verb usually appears at the end, for example: dass ich heute Abend zurückkomme.

Usage notes: zurückkommen is intransitive and describes returning to a location or situation. It is often contrasted with zurückbringen (to bring back something) and with zurückkehren or wiederkehren as synonyms for returning to a place. The phrase can refer to physical return (from a trip) as well as the reappearance of an idea or mood: Der Gedanke kommt wieder zurück.

Etymology and related terms: The verb combines zurück- (back) with kommen (to come). Related nouns include die Rückkehr (the return) and related verbs such as wiederkommen (to come back again) or zurückkehren (to return, formally).