How to use the German word WILLKOMMEN

A while ago I was asked when (or how) to use willkommen with bei, in, zu, auf or an. I answered and then did a little research to see if there was more.

The result is this blog post.

  • Willkommen – welcome
  • Herzlich willkommen – a bit more polite or friendly, but still translated as welcome
  • höchst willkommen – most welcome
  • jemanden willkommen heißen – to welcome sombody
  • Das wäre sehr willkommen. – That wouldn’t go amiss.

Willkommen & dative prepositions:

  • Willkommen bei mir/ uns. – Welcome to my/ our house/place.
  • Willkommen in Deutschland/ Berlin. – Welcome to Germany/ Berlin.
  • Willkommen auf Rügen/ meiner Website. – Welcome to Rügen (German island in the Baltic Sea)/ to my website.
  • Willkommen am (an+dem=am) Quendorfer See. – Welcome to the Quendorfer lake (a beautiful little lake near Schüttorf in Germany, where I’m from)
  • Willkommen zu … – welcome to (an event)
    Willkommen zur (zu+der=zur) Party. – Welcome to the party.
    Willkommen zum (zu+dem=zum) Gottensdienst. – Welcome to the church service.

Willkommen as an adjective.
If it’s used an an adjective and comes before a noun it needs to take the appropriate ending depending on gender and case)

  • Das ist ein willkommener Vorgang. – That’s a welcome process.
    Vorgang is masculine and the subject of this sentence, so it’s ‘ein willkommener Vorgang’.
  • Ich habe Wein gekauft für einen willkommenen Vorgang. – I have bought wine for a welcome process.
    Here, Wein is the subject and ‘für’ is a preposition that’s followed by the accusative, so we need the accusative adjective ending for the masculine noun ‘einen willkommenen’.
  • Bei diesem willkommenen Vorgang muss es ja gut gehen. – With this welcome process, things have to go well. This time we have a dative preposition (bei).
  • Das ist eine willkommene Gelegenheit (feminine noun). – That’s a welcome opportunity.
  • Das ist ein willkommenes Geschenk (neuter noun). – That’s a welcome gift.
    Again, nominative case but this time a feminine and neuter noun.

One more sentence:
Ihr seid mir immer willkommen. – You are always welcome (at my website in this case)

And an idiom:
Willkommen im Klub!
Join the club!

But as this post is now long enough, I don’t want to overstay my welcome (in your browser):
Ich will nicht länger bleiben als ich willkommen bin. 😉

Pin it now, read it later!

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