to join / get around to / be added
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to join
To join an already existing group of people or an ongoing event; to arrive later and join in.
Wir gehen schon mal vor ins Restaurant, du kannst ja später dazukommen.
We'll go ahead to the restaurant; you can join us later.
'Dazukommen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'dazu-' goes to the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Die Party war schon im Gang, als ich dazukam.
The party was already underway when I joined.
The word consists of the adverb 'dazu' (toward/to something or someone) and the verb 'kommen' (to come). This structure helps you understand the basic meaning of adding something or joining in.
Zuerst waren wir nur zu zweit, aber dann kamen immer mehr Leute dazu.
At first there were only two of us, but then more and more people joined.
The meaning 'to find time' is almost always used in the construction 'dazu kommen, etwas zu tun' (to get around to doing something). The word 'dazu' refers to the activity in the infinitive clause. Most of the time, this expression is negated.
Ich wollte gestern aufräumen, bin aber nicht dazu gekommen.
I wanted to clean up yesterday, but I didn't get around to it.
When additional circumstances or problems are described, 'dazukommen' (to be added) is often combined with the word 'noch' (also/still). A typical sentence structure is: 'Dazu kam noch, dass ...' (On top of that, ...).
Die Aufgabe war schwierig. Dazu kam noch, dass ich nur wenig Zeit hatte.
The task was difficult. On top of that, I had very little time.
to that / additionally
'dazu' and 'dazukommen' both have to do with something additional or with joining in. 'dazu' is an adverb and refers to something previous: something is added to it, or someone joins something. 'dazukommen' is a verb. It can mean that a person joins a group later, that an additional problem arises, or that someone finds time for something, often in negative sentences. Learners easily confuse the words because 'dazu kommen' and 'dazukommen' look very similar. Pay attention: 'Ich komme nicht dazu, ...' means time or opportunity; 'Julia ist dazugekommen' means that Julia joined in.
Julia ist später dazugekommen, weil sie vorher noch einkaufen musste.
Julia joined later because she still had to go shopping beforehand.
Heute komme ich nicht dazu, die Unterlagen zu sortieren.
Today I won't get around to sorting the documents.