to come close / measure up
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to come close to
To approach a person or thing physically; to be able to get near something.
Wegen der Absperrung konnte niemand an die Unfallstelle herankommen.
Because of the barrier, no one could come close to the accident site.
to measure up to
To reach, or come close to, a certain level, quality, or performance.
Seine neue Arbeit kommt qualitativ nicht an die alte heran.
In terms of quality, his new work does not measure up to the old one.
'Herankommen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'heran-' separates from the verb 'kommen' in main clauses and goes to the end of the sentence. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu,' the verb stays together.
Der Hund kommt langsam an den Fremden heran.
The dog slowly comes close to the stranger.
This verb is always used with the preposition 'an' and the accusative. This applies to both the physical and the figurative meaning.
Lass die Kinder nicht zu nah an den heißen Ofen herankommen.
Don't let the children come too close to the hot stove.
In the physical meaning, 'herankommen' is often used to express a difficulty or obstacle. It frequently appears in negative sentences to say that something is unreachable.
Das Kind ist noch zu klein, um an die Türklinke heranzukommen.
The child is still too small to reach the door handle.
In the figurative meaning, 'herankommen an' is used to compare qualities or performances. It is usually used negatively to express that something does not reach the same level.
Die Kopie kommt bei Weitem nicht an das Original heran.
The copy does not measure up to the original by a long shot.
to reach
Herankommen means that you can approach something or get access to it. Erreichen goes further here and means that the thing is actually within reach to touch or grab. So being near something does not always mean that you have reached it.
Von der unteren Leiterstufe kam sie an die Kiste heran, konnte sie aber noch nicht greifen.
From the bottom rung of the ladder, she came close to the crate but still could not grab it.
Von der oberen Leiterstufe erreichte sie die Kiste und nahm sie herunter.
From the top rung of the ladder, she reached the crate and took it down.
