Questions & Answers about Ich komme bald zurück.
Why is zurück at the very end of the sentence?
zurückkommen (to come back) is a separable verb. In the present tense, the verb splits. The main part (komme) stays in the second position of the sentence, and the prefix (zurück) gets kicked to the very end.
Since we are learning the past tense, how would I say I came back soon?
You would say Ich bin bald zurückgekommen. For separable verbs in the past tense, the ge gets sandwiched between the prefix and the verb. So, zurück + ge + kommen becomes zurückgekommen. Note that we use bin instead of habe here because coming back is a movement from one place to another!
The English translation says am coming. Why isn't there a word for am in the German sentence?
German doesn't have an exact match for the English -ing verbs. Ich komme translates to both I come and I am coming. By adding a time word like bald (soon), the present tense can also easily act as the future tense, meaning I will come back soon.
Can I put the word bald at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes! You can say Bald komme ich zurück. Remember that in standard German sentences, the verb must stay in the second position. If you put Bald first, ich has to move after the verb to keep komme in spot number two. The prefix zurück stays anchored at the end.
Learn Ich komme bald zurück and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free