Ich warte draußen, bis du reinkommst.

I wait outside until you come in.

Breakdown of Ich warte draußen, bis du reinkommst.

• draußen: outside
• ich: I
• du: you
• bis: until

Questions & Answers about Ich warte draußen, bis du reinkommst.

Why is there a comma before bis?

Because bis du reinkommst is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause). In German, subordinate clauses are normally separated from the main clause with a comma:

• Ich warte draußen, bis du reinkommst.

This comma is standard and expected in writing.

Why does the verb come at the end in bis du reinkommst?

After subordinating conjunctions like bis, German uses verb-final word order in that clause. So instead of main-clause order (du kommst rein), you get:

• subordinate clause: bis du reinkommst (verb at the end)

Why is it reinkommst and not kommst rein?

reinkommen is a separable-prefix verb (rein- + kommen).

• In a main clause, the prefix usually splits off: Du kommst rein.
• In a subordinate clause, the verb goes to the end and the prefix stays attached: …, bis du reinkommst.

So the form changes because the clause type changes.

Is rein the same as hinein? Is reinkommen informal?