das Willkommen
welcome
A friendly greeting or reception upon arrival.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Reise freuten wir uns über das herzliche Willkommen unserer Gastgeber.
After the long journey, we were delighted by our hosts' warm welcome.
das Willkommen
welcome
das Willkommen, die Willkommen
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Willkommen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Willkommen |
| genitive | des Willkommens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Willkommen | die Willkommen |
| accusative | das Willkommen | die Willkommen |
| dative | dem Willkommen | den Willkommen |
| genitive | des Willkommens | der Willkommen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Nominalized adjective
'Willkommen' (welcome) is used here as a noun and refers to the friendly reception itself. That is why it is capitalized and can be modified by an adjective.
EXAMPLE
Die neuen Schülerinnen erhielten ein besonders herzliches Willkommen.
The new female students received a particularly warm welcome.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'ein herzliches Willkommen' (a warm welcome), 'ein warmes Willkommen' (a warm welcome), and 'jemandem ein Willkommen bereiten' (to give someone a welcome). The noun is often used with an adjective that describes the friendliness of the reception.
EXAMPLE
Der Verein bereitete den internationalen Gästen ein herzliches Willkommen.
The association gave the international guests a warm welcome.
The case of the person
In the expression 'jemandem ein Willkommen bereiten' (to give someone a welcome), the person being welcomed is in the dative, and 'ein Willkommen' is in the accusative. With the verb 'erwarten' (to await), however, 'ein Willkommen' is the subject, and the person being welcomed is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Am Eingang bereitete die Gemeinde den Besuchern ein herzliches Willkommen.
At the entrance, the community gave the visitors a warm welcome.
Am Eingang erwartete die Besucher ein herzliches Willkommen.
At the entrance, a warm welcome awaited the visitors.
In real life
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