ich komme aus
The English phrase "I come from" is translated into German as ich komme aus.
You use ich komme aus to state your place of origin, such as a city, a country or a specific building.
What does it mean word for word?
The preposition aus means "from" or "out of".
Which one should you use?
Use ich komme aus to state your place of origin (for example, a country or city), whereas ich komme von would typically mean you are coming from a specific point or person, such as saying "I am coming from the doctor".
How does it change in a sentence?
The preposition aus always requires the dative case for the noun that follows it.
Did you know?
- The word aus is actually a linguistic sibling to the English word 'out'. Both words share the same ancient roots, meaning they both describe the concept of moving from the inside to the outside.
- Because aus is tied to the concept of being 'out of', saying ich komme aus der Schule can mean both that you are a former student and that you are currently walking out of the school building.
- In some German dialects, the ch sound in ich shifts to a k sound, which mirrors the ancient Proto-West Germanic root ik.
Examples in context
- Ich komme aus Boston.I come from Boston.This sentence shows how to use ich komme aus with a city.Tatoeba #6005480 by wolfgangth, translation #2308006 by CK
- Ich komme aus Amerika.I come from America.This sentence shows how to use ich komme aus with a country.Tatoeba #2231214 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2231212 by CN
- Ich komme aus dem Garten.I come from the garden.This sentence demonstrates how aus functions when indicating movement from a specific place like a garden.Tatoeba #783686 by Esperantostern, translation #9036594 by Nylez
- Ich komme aus Deutschland.I come from Germany.
- Ich stamme aus Österreich.I originate from Austria.
- Ich komme aus Kanada.I come from Canada.
- Ich bin aus Bayern.I'm from Bavaria.
- Ich komm' aus Wien.I come from Vienna.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix meet for the first time at a language school.
- JuliaHallo! Ich bin Julia. Und du?Hello! I am Julia. And you?
- FelixIch heiße Felix. Woher kommst du?My name is Felix. Where do you come from?
- JuliaIch komme aus Deutschland, aus Berlin.I come from Germany, from Berlin.
- FelixDas ist ja toll!That is great!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aus, ich, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
