koma
The Old Norse verb for "come" is koma.
This verb is used to express the action of arriving or appearing.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
koma is a strong verb. The present is kem (I come), the past is kom (came) and the past participle is kominn.
Did you know?
- The root of koma is related to the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷem-, which also gave rise to the Latin 'venire', the root of the English word 'convene'.
- In Old Norse, the verb koma can describe not just a person arriving, but also the sudden appearance of a storm or a spiritual entity.
- The verb koma belongs to a group of 'strong verbs' in Old Norse. This means it changes its internal vowel to show tense, a pattern that survived into Modern English through the shift from 'come' to 'came'.
Example conversation
Helga and Ivar are waiting for a guest at the door.
- HelgaSátt þú manninn?Did you see the man?
- IvarJá, hann kom hingat.Yes, he came here.
- HelgaEr hann gestr?Is he a guest?
- IvarJá, hann er gestr.Yes, he is a guest.
