werden or bekommen?

Q: werden or bekommen?

A false friend with consequences: werden means „to become“, that is, to change into something, bekommen means „to get, to receive“ - despite looking like „become“.

A false friend with consequences: werden means „to become“, that is, to change into something, bekommen means „to get, to receive“ - despite looking like „become“.

werden

A state changes: Er wird Arzt, es wird kalt, sie wird müde. It is also the auxiliary for the future tense and the passive.

Sie wird Ärztin.She's becoming a doctor.

bekommen

To receive something, always with an accusative object. In everyday speech „kriegen“ is used for it too.

Ich bekomme ein Paket.I'm getting a parcel.

The mistake

Ich werde ein Paket.

Ich bekomme ein Paket.

The wrong sentence says that I am turning into a parcel. Receiving something takes „bekommen“.

Rule of thumb

Mnemonic: „bekommen“ never means „become“, and „to become“ is always werden. Dutch and the Scandinavian languages share the trap.

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