komme til at
Happen to / Accidentally (Komme Til at)
Komme til at is a versatile phrase that changes meaning based on tense. In the past, it means 'accidentally' or 'happened to.' In the present, it acts as a future marker for things that are likely or inevitable.
How It Works
The phrase komme til at is essential for natural Danish conversation. Its function generally depends on the tense used, though there are exceptions:
- Past Tense (kom til at): This indicates an accidental or involuntary action. It is the standard way to say 'I didn't mean to' or 'I happened to.' For example, Jeg kom til at spilde (I accidentally spilled).
- Present Tense (kommer til at): This often serves as a future marker for neutral predictions or inevitable outcomes. For example, Det kommer til at regne (It is going to rain). However, it can also describe an unintentional action predicted to happen, such as Pas på, du kommer til at falde! (Watch out, you're going to fall!).
- The 'Thought' Exception: A common exception to the future rule is the phrase Jeg kommer til at tænke på... (I'm reminded of / I just thought of...), which refers to a spontaneous thought in the present.
- Perfect Tense (er kommet til at): Used for accidents that have just happened. Note that it uses er as the auxiliary verb.
Remember that komme follows standard V2 word order rules, meaning it must be the second element in a main clause. In spoken Danish, the word at is often reduced to a short 'å' sound.
Examples (5)
- Jeg kom til at slette filen.
I accidentally deleted the file.
Word by Word: I came to to delete the file.
The past tense 'kom' indicates the action was unintentional.
- Du kommer til at elske denne film.
You are going to love this movie.
Word by Word: You come to to love this film.
The present tense 'kommer' predicts a future state that is likely to happen.
- Jeg er kommet til at glemme min nøgle.
I have accidentally forgotten my key.
Word by Word: I am come to to forget my key.
The perfect tense uses 'er' and indicates a recent accidental event.
- Det kommer til at sne i nat.
It is going to snow tonight.
Word by Word: It comes to to snow in night.
Used here for a neutral weather prediction outside of human control.
- Undskyld, jeg kom til at støde ind i dig.
Sorry, I happened to bump into you.
Word by Word: Sorry, I came to to bump into you.
A common way to soften an apology for an accident.
Common Mistakes
Using 'har' instead of 'er' in the perfect tense.
Jeg har kommet til at tabe min telefon.Jeg er kommet til at tabe min telefon.Because 'komme' is a verb of motion/change, it must use 'være' (er) in the perfect tense, not 'have' (har).
Inflecting the second verb instead of using the infinitive.
Jeg kom til at slettede filen.Jeg kom til at slette filen.Only 'komme' is inflected for tense. The verb following 'at' must always be in the infinitive form.
Using 'vil' for neutral future predictions.
Det vil regne i morgen.Det kommer til at regne i morgen.While 'vil' is used for future, it often implies volition or intent. For neutral predictions like weather, 'kommer til at' is more natural.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'komme til at' in the sense of doing something by accident, you need to be comfortable with the verb 'komme' and its irregular past tense form 'kom'. You also need to understand how to link verbs using the infinitive marker 'at' and distinguish this usage from the standard future tense construction.
- Strong (Vowel-Change) Past Tense
The 'accidental' meaning of this pattern is most commonly used in the past tense ('kom til at'), which requires knowing the irregular past tense form of the verb 'komme'.
Level 2 - kommer til atGoing to (Kommer Til at)
Learners should first be familiar with the future tense construction 'kommer til at' before learning its idiomatic usage for accidental actions.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- skal + InfinitiveShall / Going to (Skal)
'Skal' is used for planned futures, whereas 'kommer til at' is for unplanned or inevitable ones.
Level 2 - vil + InfinitiveWill / Want to (Vil)
'Vil' often implies desire or intent, while 'kommer til at' is a neutral prediction.
Level 2 - er + Past ParticiplePerfect with Er
Explains why 'er kommet' is used instead of 'har kommet' in the perfect tense.
Level 2 - at + InfinitiveInfinitive with at
This pattern uses the infinitive marker 'at' before the main verb.
Level 1 - er ved atIn the Middle of (Er Ved at)
Another periphrastic construction used to express ongoing actions (continuous aspect).
Level 3 - skal til atAbout to (Skal Til at)
A similar construction meaning 'about to,' indicating an immediate future action.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice komme til at in Bubblegum
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