komm her
The English phrase "come here" is translated into German as komm her.
This phrase is a command used to tell someone to move toward the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative form of kommen (to come) and the adverb her (towards the speaker).
Which one should you use?
While komm her is the basic command, adding the particle mal to create komm mal her makes the command sound less harsh and more like a casual request, meaning "come here for a second".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, people might say Kumm bittscheen her instead of Komm bitte her.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes depending on whom you are addressing: use komm her for a single person informally, kommt her when addressing a group of people informally such as friends or children and kommen Sie her for the polite imperative used for strangers or superiors.
Did you know?
- When calling a dog, Germans often use the command hier! instead of komm her! Even though it literally translates to 'here!', it is the standard functional equivalent of 'come!'
- Using the formal kommen Sie her with a child or a pet would be perceived as an intentional joke or an act of extreme irony.
- The word her is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'here'. They both stem from ancient roots that signify a location in proximity to the speaker.
Examples in context
- Komm her und hilf!Come here and help.This sentence is useful for practicing the command komm her.Tatoeba #10065838 by wolfgangth, translation #3100621 by mhenderson5
- Komm her und schau es dir an!Come here and have a look at it.Tatoeba #690576 by Manfredo, translation #61460 by CK
- Komm her und sieh dir das an!Come here and take a look at this.Tatoeba #13720442 by Waldelfe, translation #12316441 by CK
- Komm bitte her, ich brauche deine HilfePlease come here, I need your help
- Kommen Sie bitte her, ich benötige Ihre MeinungPlease come here, I need your opinion
- Komm bitte her, wir sind hierPlease come here, we're here
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah is calling Maximilian from another room.
- HannahMaximilian, komm her!Maximilian, come here!
- MaximilianJa, ich komme schon.Yes, I'm coming.
- HannahIch muss dir etwas zeigen.I have to show you something.
- MaximilianWas ist es denn?What is it?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries her, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
