to start to, to have changed up to now

Te-form plus くる describes a change that has developed up to the present, the start of something (降ってきた), or doing an action and returning (買ってくる). It frames events as moving toward the speaker in time or space. Contrast ていく, which moves away from the present.

Examples

• 雨あめが降ふってきました。

  Ame ga futte kimashita.

  It has started to rain.

• 日本語にほんごが少すこしずつ分わかるようになってきました。

  Nihongo ga sukoshi zutsu wakaru you ni natte kimashita.

  I have gradually come to understand Japanese.

Vocabulary in these examples

• 雨 rain
• 降る to fall (rain, snow)
• 日本語 Japanese language
• 少し a little
• 分かる to understand
• なる to become

Related patterns · Te-form compounds

• 〜てしまう to finish completely; to do regrettably
• 〜ておく to do in advance, to leave as is
• 〜てみる to try doing and see
• 〜ていく to go on doing, to change from now on