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Grammar detail: verb て form + くる

verb て form + くる
become; do ~ and come back
402 words
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verb て form
+
くる
means
become
or
do ~ and come back
.
It is often used to express a change of state that is literally or figuratively 'towards' the speaker.
It could be translated as 'X will do ~ (and then come back)'.
In this phrase くる is usually written in hiragana, but it can be encountered in its kanji form, 来る.
The progressive nature of the action towards the speaker is a key element of the meaning that てくる captures. When the speaker is the doer of the action, coming back to the location from which they occupy is a key part of the meaning, which てくる allows the speaker to convey.
かれ
彼
はまもなく
かえ
帰
ってくる
だろう。
He will be back soon.
かのじょ
彼女
はすぐに
もど
戻
ってくる
と
おも
思
います
。
I think she will come back soon.
In the next sentence, the English translation does not explicitly include words to the equivalent of 'come back', but this nuance is conveyed.
ちょっと
きっぷ
切符
を
か
買
ってくる
。
I'm just going to run down to buy some tickets.
Literally, this expression means 'doing ~ (て form), I (then) come back'. It is very commonly encountered in the set expression
い
行
って
き
来
ます, 'I go and come back', ie 'I'll be back soon'.
ちょっと
ゆうびんきょく
郵便局
へいってくる。
I'm just going to drop by the post office.
あと
後
で
そこまで
くるま
車
で
い
行
ってきます
。
I'll run over there later, in my car.

てくる vs straight plain form without くる

These next two questions use
かえ
帰
ってくる and
かえ
帰
る to convey almost the same meaning.
かえ
帰
ってくる in the first example gives a stronger sense of X 'coming back' home.
An important distinction between these two questions is that
かえ
帰
ってくる will always have the meaning 'come home', whereas
かえ
帰
る in the second question can mean 'go home' depending on the situation.
If the speaker and X were at work and the speaker asked 今日は何時に帰りますか, the speaker would be asking X 'What time are you going home today?'
なんじ
何時
に
かえ
帰
ってくる
の。
When will you come home?
きょう
今日
は
なんじ
何時
に
かえ
帰
る
の?
What time will you be home this evening?
In the first sentence below we can assume the speaker is meaning 'come late' to this particular place, or in this particular context, whereas the second sentence has a broader meaning and includes contexts unrelated to the speaker.
かれ
彼
はいつも
おく
遅
れてくる
というわけではない。
He doesn't always come late.
かれ
彼
はいつも
おく
遅
れる
というわけではない。
He isn't always late.
Below, in the first sentence the main message is that the speaker 'is going to get the tickets and come back'. The main message in the second sentence is that the speaker 'will buy tickets' later.
ちょっと
きっぷ
切符
を
か
買
ってくる
。
I'm just going to run down to buy some tickets.
あと
後
で
きっぷ
切符
を
か
買
います
。
I'll buy tickets later.

てくる and motion

These next examples demonstrate the close association between てくる and describing motion and the progressive nature of the main verb.
れっしゃ
列車
が
はい
入
ってくる
よ。
Here comes the train.
かれ
彼
はすぐ
お
降
りてくる
でしょう。
He will come down soon.
わたし
私
は
かれ
彼
が
ちか
近
づいてくる
のが
み
見
えた
き
気
がする。
I had a fancy that I could see him approaching.
あした
明日
ははれてくるといいなあ。
I hope the weather will clear up tomorrow.
せんせい
先生
が
はい
入
ってくる
と
かのじょ
彼女
は
た
立
ち
あ
上
がった
。
She stood up when her teacher came in.
ひごと
日毎
に
さむ
寒
く
なってくる。
It is getting colder day by day.
Some words are very commonly encountered in this form, such as
も
持
ってくる (bring) and やってくる (to arrive; to approach; to appear)
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Kanji used in this grammar

来
ライ   くる to come   きたる to be forthcoming   きたす to induce   
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行
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆく    いく to go   おこなう to take place   
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帰
キ   かえる to return   かえす to send back, give back   
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今
コン   キン   いま now   
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日
ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
何
カ   なに    なん what?   
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時
ジ   とき time, occasion   
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持
ジ   もつ to hold, to have   
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彼
ヒ   かれ he   
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女
ジョ   ニョ   ニョウ   woman; female   おんな woman   め woman   
戻
レイ   もどる to return   もどす to send back   
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思
シ   おもう to think   
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切
セツ   サイ   きる to cut   きれる to break, to snap   
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符
フ    sign, mark   
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買
バイ   かう to buy   
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郵
ユウ    mail   
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便
convenience; tidings   ビン tidings   ベン convenience   たより tidings, news   
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局
キョク    office   
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後
ゴ   コウ   のち    あと afterwards   うしろ behind   おくれる be late   
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車
シャ   くるま car   
遅
チ   おそい late   おくれる to be late   おくらす to make late   
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列
レツ    row   
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入
ニュウ   いる to enter   はいる to enter   いれる to put in   
降
コウ   おりる to get off   おろす to drop off   ふる to fall (eg rain)   
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私
シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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近
キン   ちかい close   
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見
ケン   みる to see   みえる to be seen; to appear   みせる to show   
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気
キ   ケ    spirit   
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明
メイ   ミョウ   あかり light   あかるい bright   あかるむ to brighten   あからむ to become luminous (at dawn)   あきらか obvious   あかす to lay bare   あく to open   あける to empty   
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先
セン   さき ahead   
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生
セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   うむ to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   おう to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
立
リツ   リュウ   たつ to stand   たてる to build   
上
ジョウ   ショウ   うえ above   うわ- above   あげる to raise   あがる to rise   かみ first half, upper part   のぼる to climb   のぼせる to bring up, to raise   のぼす to bring up   
毎
マイ   every, each
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寒
カン   さむい cold   
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