klarkommen

German

Etymology

klar (clear) + kommen (to come). Compare to and distinguish neatly from Dutch klaarkomen (to have an orgasm).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈklaː(ɐ̯)ˌkɔmən/
  • Hyphenation: klar‧kom‧men

Verb

klarkommen (class 4 strong, third-person singular simple present kommt klar, past tense kam klar, past participle klargekommen, past subjunctive käme klar, auxiliary sein)

  1. (informal) to cope; to come to terms, to deal with, to manage, to get along, to get on, to get by
    • 2014, Der Spiegel, issue 5/2014, page 53:
      Arbeitslosigkeit und Armut waren nun kein Schicksal mehr, mit dem jeder allein klarkommen musste.
      Now unemployment and poverty were no longer a fate that everybody had to deal with on their own.
    • 2007, Der Spiegel, issue 19/2007, page 64:
      Wie prägt diese Schule ein Leben, wie kommt man klar hinterher?
      How does this school shape a life, how does one get along after it?

Usage notes

  • The verb is generally construed with the preposition mit (+ dative).
  • In very colloquial style, particularly in youth slang, the preposition auf (+ accusative) may be used, typically in negation. This often implies a certain emotional emphasis: Ich komm echt nicht mehr klar auf mein Leben! (“I really can’t cope with my life anymore!”)

Conjugation

Synonyms

Further reading

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