Breakdown of Mein Bruder bekommt bald eine Gehaltserhöhung.
mein
my; (masculine or neuter, nominative)
der Bruder
the brother
bald
soon
bekommen
to get
Questions & Answers about Mein Bruder bekommt bald eine Gehaltserhöhung.
Why does bekommt mean “gets” and not “becomes”?
In German, bekommen almost always means “to get / to receive”, not “to become”.
The verb for “to become” is werden.
- Mein Bruder bekommt bald eine Gehaltserhöhung. = My brother will get a raise soon.
- Mein Bruder wird bald Chef. = My brother will become boss soon.
So bekommt here is simply “gets/receives a raise”, not “becomes a raise”. It’s a classic false friend for English speakers.
Why is bekommt in the present tense if it’s talking about the future?
German often uses the present tense + a time expression to talk about the future.
The word bald (“soon”) shows that it’s about a future event.
So:
- Mein Bruder bekommt bald eine Gehaltserhöhung.
≈ “My brother is getting / will get a raise soon.”
You could also say:
- Mein Bruder wird bald eine Gehaltserhöhung bekommen.
Both are correct; the simple present with bald is very natural in everyday German.
What case is eine Gehaltserhöhung, and why is it eine and not ein or einen?