Use 'come' to describe movement towards yourself or a specified location.
Mot en 30 secondes
- Move towards the speaker or a place.
- Basic verb of motion and arrival.
- Used literally and figuratively.
Overview
The verb 'come' is one of the most fundamental and frequently used verbs in the English language. Its core meaning revolves around movement towards a particular point or person. While its basic definition is straightforward, 'come' can be used in a variety of contexts, both literal and figurative, and forms the basis of many common phrasal verbs and idioms. Understanding 'come' is essential for basic communication in English.
As a verb of motion, 'come' typically takes a subject (the person or thing moving) and often a prepositional phrase indicating the destination or direction (e.g., 'come home,' 'come to the party,' 'come here'). It can also be used intransitively, implying movement towards the speaker without explicitly stating the destination, as in 'Are you coming?'. The verb is highly irregular, with past tense 'came' and past participle 'come'.
Literal movement is the most common use: 'Please come to my house.' It's also used for arrival: 'The bus will come soon.' Figuratively, it can mean to happen or occur: 'When did the news come?' or 'His time has come.' It's also used to describe the origin of something: 'This wine comes from France.' In commands, it's very direct: 'Come here!'
'Go' is the direct antonym of 'come,' indicating movement away from the speaker or a specified place. While 'come' is about approaching, 'go' is about departing. 'Arrive' is a synonym, focusing on reaching a destination, but 'come' emphasizes the movement towards the speaker or a central point. 'Visit' implies coming to a place with a specific social purpose, like seeing someone.
Exemples
Please come to my house after school.
everydayVeuillez venir chez moi après l'école.
The train is scheduled to come at 3 PM.
formalLe train doit arriver à 15h.
Come on, let's go!
informalAllez, on y va !
The data will come from multiple sources.
academicLes données proviendront de plusieurs sources.
Collocations courantes
Phrases Courantes
come on
allez / dépêche-toi
come back
revenir
come in
entrer
come out
sortir
Souvent confondu avec
'Go' describes movement away from the speaker or a reference point. 'Come' describes movement towards the speaker or a reference point. For instance, if you are at home and say 'I will go to the store,' you are leaving. If your friend is at the store and says 'I will come to your house,' they are moving towards you.
Modèles grammaticaux
How to Use It
Notes d'usage
The verb 'come' is very common in everyday conversation. It is generally neutral in terms of formality, but its use in phrasal verbs can make it more informal. Pay attention to the prepositions used with 'come' as they significantly alter the meaning.
Erreurs courantes
Learners often confuse the past tense 'came' with the base form 'come'. Also, using 'come' when 'go' is appropriate is a common error, especially when the speaker is not at the destination. For example, saying 'I will come to your party' when you are inviting someone to your house is incorrect; it should be 'I will go to your party'.
Tips
Think 'towards me' for 'come'
Remember 'come' is about movement in your direction or towards a place you are associated with.
Irregular verb forms
Be careful with the past tense ('came') and past participle ('come') as they are irregular.
Invitations often use 'come'
When inviting someone, 'come' is very common, like 'Come to my party' or 'Come over for dinner'.
Origine du mot
The word 'come' originates from the Old English word 'cuman', which means 'to move toward a place'. It has ancient Germanic roots, sharing similarities with words in other related languages.
Contexte culturel
In many cultures, the act of 'coming' to someone's home or a gathering signifies participation and belonging. Invitations often use 'come' to express hospitality and the desire for the guest's presence.
Astuce mémo
Think of 'come' as a welcoming gesture, like someone arriving at your door. The sound 'come' is soft, like someone gently arriving.
Questions fréquentes
4 questions'Come' means to move toward the speaker or a place where the speaker is. 'Go' means to move away from the speaker or a place. For example, 'Come here!' means move towards me, while 'Go there!' means move away from me.
Yes, 'come' can be used figuratively. For example, 'The time has come' means the right moment has arrived, or 'His career came to an end' means it finished.
The past tense of 'come' is 'came'. The past participle is also 'come'. For example: 'He came yesterday.' and 'He has come.'
'Come on' can mean 'hurry up' ('Come on, we'll be late!') or it can be used to encourage someone ('Come on, you can do it!'). It can also mean to start, especially for a machine ('The engine won't come on').
Teste-toi
Choose the correct form of the verb 'come' to complete the sentence.
She will ______ to the meeting tomorrow.
The sentence uses 'will', indicating the future tense, which requires the base form of the verb 'come'.
Select the sentence that correctly uses the verb 'come'.
Which sentence is correct?
The adverb 'yesterday' indicates the past tense, and 'came' is the correct past tense form of 'come'.
Arrange the words to form a grammatically correct sentence using 'come'.
Build a sentence with: 'you / when / will / here / come / ?'
This is the standard question structure in English for future tense using 'will' and the verb 'come'.
🎉 Score : /3
Summary
Use 'come' to describe movement towards yourself or a specified location.
- Move towards the speaker or a place.
- Basic verb of motion and arrival.
- Used literally and figuratively.
Think 'towards me' for 'come'
Remember 'come' is about movement in your direction or towards a place you are associated with.
Irregular verb forms
Be careful with the past tense ('came') and past participle ('come') as they are irregular.
Invitations often use 'come'
When inviting someone, 'come' is very common, like 'Come to my party' or 'Come over for dinner'.
Exemples
4 sur 4Please come to my house after school.
Veuillez venir chez moi après l'école.
The train is scheduled to come at 3 PM.
Le train doit arriver à 15h.
Come on, let's go!
Allez, on y va !
The data will come from multiple sources.
Les données proviendront de plusieurs sources.
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Apprendre en contexte
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Plus de mots sur general
about
A1'About' signifie 'à propos de' quand on parle d'un sujet, ou 'environ' pour une quantité.
above
A2Indique une position plus haute que quelque chose d'autre, juste au-dessus.
accident
A2Un événement imprévu qui cause du tort ou des blessures.
action
A2C'est le fait de faire quelque chose pour atteindre un but.
after
A2'After' veut dire 'après', quelque chose qui arrive plus tard dans le temps ou dans l'espace.
afterward
A2At a later or subsequent time.
again
A2'Again' veut dire 'encore', que quelque chose se produit une deuxième fois ou plus.
aged
B1Cela précise l'âge d'une personne ou d'un objet.
alive
A2Quelque chose qui est en vie, qui n'est pas mort.
all
A2'All' désigne la totalité de quelque chose, chaque élément sans exception.
