01
vorkommen
to occur
To exist or be found in a certain place or under certain conditions.
example
Diese seltene Pflanzenart kommt nur in den Alpen vor.
This rare plant species occurs only in the Alps.
vorkommen
to occur / seem
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Separable verb
'Vorkommen' is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'vor' goes at the end. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
EXAMPLE
Solche Fehler kommen in seinen Texten häufig vor.
Such errors frequently occur in his texts.
Dative construction
In the meaning of 'erscheinen' (to appear) or 'wirken' (to seem), 'vorkommen' always needs a person in the dative. The pattern is: Something (subject) comes someone (dative) [adjective] before.
EXAMPLE
Die ganze Situation kam mir sehr seltsam vor.
The whole situation seemed very strange to me.
Sentence pattern for 'to happen'
When 'vorkommen' has the meaning 'passieren' (to happen), it is often combined with the impersonal subject 'es' and a 'dass' clause. The structure is: Es kommt vor, dass ... (It happens that ...).
EXAMPLE
Es kommt selten vor, dass ich so früh aufstehe.
It rarely occurs that I get up so early.
Typical subjects
In the meaning of 'existieren' (to exist), 'vorkommen' is often used for things that can be found in nature or in a system. Typical subjects are animal and plant species, minerals, but also words or errors in a text.
EXAMPLE
Wölfe kommen in dieser Region wieder häufiger vor.
Wolves are occurring more frequently again in this region.
Compare with
vorkommen vs kommen
to come
'kommen' and 'vorkommen' can both mean that something happens. 'kommen' is very general and is often used in fixed expressions, for example 'es kommt zu einem Problem' (a problem occurs). 'vorkommen' fits well when you say that something happens sometimes or is possible in a situation. The risk of confusion is that both have to do with events. A practical guide: 'Es kommt zu ...' often describes an event occurring, while 'Das kommt vor' means more like: Things like that happen sometimes.
vorkommen
Solche Fehler kommen am Anfang eines Kurses oft vor.
Mistakes like this often happen at the beginning of a course.
kommen
Bei der Anmeldung kann es zu längeren Wartezeiten kommen.
There may be longer waiting times during registration.
In real life
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