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
vorkommen
to occur
To happen, take place, or come about.
EXAMPLE
Es kommt oft vor, dass die Züge hier Verspätung haben.
It often occurs that the trains here are delayed.
vorkommen
to seem
To affect someone in a certain way or appear that way to them. Often in the expression 'jemandem ... vorkommen' (to seem ... to someone).
EXAMPLE
Seine Reaktion kam mir doch sehr merkwürdig vor.
His reaction seemed very strange to me after all.
vorkommen
to come forward
To step forward or come out from a group, usually in response to a request.
EXAMPLE
Der Lehrer bat den Schüler, zur Tafel vorzukommen.
The teacher asked the student to come forward to the board.
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
scheinenpassierenvertretengeschehenerscheinenauftretenVerbreitungAnwesenheitauftauchenvorfallenLagerstätte
vorkommen vs scheinen
to shine / seem
Both words can express a personal impression. Scheinen describes more generally what impression something gives, while vorkommen names the person perceiving it with „mir“, „dir“, or „jemandem“. Use scheinen for an assessment and vorkommen for an explicitly personal impression.
vorkommen
Der neue Kollege kommt mir freundlich vor.
The new colleague seems friendly to me.
scheinen
Der neue Kollege scheint freundlich zu sein.
The new colleague seems to be friendly.
In real life
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