Comes vs. Come: What's the Difference?
By Janet White || Updated on May 20, 2024
"Comes" is the third-person singular form of the verb "come," while "come" is the base form used in all other cases, including first-person, second-person, and plural subjects.
Key Differences
"Comes" is used with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it) in the present tense to describe the action of moving toward or arriving at a place. For example, "She comes home every evening." "Come," on the other hand, is the base form of the verb and is used in various grammatical contexts, including first-person and second-person subjects, plural subjects, and imperative sentences. For example, "I come to work by bus," "You come with me," and "They come every week."
In verb conjugation, "comes" is specific to the third-person singular present tense, whereas "come" can function as the base form for infinitives, imperative moods, and all other present tense subjects except third-person singular. It is also used in the past participle form "come" in perfect tenses, such as "has come."
"Comes" denotes a single subject performing the action currently, while "come" is versatile, applying to multiple grammatical contexts, making it more widely used in different sentence structures.
Comparison Chart
Form
Third-person singular present
Base form (infinitive, imperative, plural)
Usage
With he, she, it (e.g., She comes)
With I, you, we, they (e.g., I come)
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Present Tense
Specific to third-person singular
Used for all except third-person singular
Perfect Tenses
Not used
Used in past participle form (e.g., has come)
Sentence Example
He comes to the office on time.
They come to the office on time.
Comes and Come Definitions
Comes
Describes an action currently being performed by one entity.
The cat comes when you call it.
Come
Appears in imperative sentences.
Come here now!
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Comes
Reflects regular or repeated movement toward a place.
The rain comes and goes.
Come
Used in perfect tenses as a past participle.
She has come a long way.
Comes
Indicates a single subject (he, she, it) in present tense.
The bus comes at 8 AM.
Come
Applies in various grammatical structures beyond third-person singular.
They come from different countries.
Comes
To advance toward the speaker or toward a specified place; approach
Come to me.
Come
To advance toward the speaker or toward a specified place; approach
Come to me.
Comes
To advance in a specified manner
The children came reluctantly when I insisted.
Come
To advance in a specified manner
The children came reluctantly when I insisted.
Comes
To make progress; advance
A former drug addict who has come a long way.
Come
To make progress; advance
A former drug addict who has come a long way.
Comes
To fare
How are things coming today? They're coming fine.
Come
To fare
How are things coming today? They're coming fine.
Comes
To reach a particular point in a series or as a result of orderly progression
At last we came to the chapter on ergonomics.
Come
To reach a particular point in a series or as a result of orderly progression
At last we came to the chapter on ergonomics.
Comes
To arrive, as in due course
Dawn comes at 5 AM in June.
Come
To arrive, as in due course
Dawn comes at 5 AM in June.
Comes
To move into view; appear
The moon came over the horizon.
Come
To move into view; appear
The moon came over the horizon.
Comes
To occur in time; take place
The game will be played tomorrow, come rain or shine.
Come
To occur in time; take place
The game will be played tomorrow, come rain or shine.
Comes
To arrive at a particular result or end
Come to an understanding.
Come
To arrive at a particular result or end
Come to an understanding.
Comes
To arrive at or reach a particular state or condition
Come to your senses!.
Come
To arrive at or reach a particular state or condition
Come to your senses!.
Comes
To move or be brought to a particular position
The convoy came to an abrupt halt.
Come
To move or be brought to a particular position
The convoy came to an abrupt halt.
Comes
To extend; reach
Water that came to my waist.
Come
To extend; reach
Water that came to my waist.
Comes
To have priority; rank
My work comes first.
Come
To have priority; rank
My work comes first.
Comes
To happen as a result
This mess comes of your carelessness.
Come
To happen as a result
This mess comes of your carelessness.
Comes
To fall to one
No good can come of this.
Come
To fall to one
No good can come of this.
Comes
To occur in the mind
A good idea just came to me.
Come
To occur in the mind
A good idea just came to me.
Comes
To issue forth
A cry came from the frightened child.
Come
To issue forth
A cry came from the frightened child.
Comes
To be derived; originate
Oaks come from acorns.
Come
To be derived; originate
Oaks come from acorns.
Comes
To be descended
They come from a good family.
Come
To be descended
They come from a good family.
Comes
To be within a given range or spectrum of reference or application
This stipulation comes within the terms of your contract.
Come
To be within a given range or spectrum of reference or application
This stipulation comes within the terms of your contract.
Comes
To be a native or resident
My friend comes from Chicago.
Come
To be a native or resident
My friend comes from Chicago.
Comes
To add up to a certain amount
Expenses came to more than income.
Come
To add up to a certain amount
Expenses came to more than income.
Comes
To become
The knot came loose. This is a dream that has come true.
Come
To become
The knot came loose. This is a dream that has come true.
Comes
To turn out to be
A good education doesn't come cheap.
Come
To turn out to be
A good education doesn't come cheap.
Comes
To be available or obtainable
Shoes that come in all sizes.
Come
To be available or obtainable
Shoes that come in all sizes.
Comes
(music) The answer to the theme, or dux, in a fugue.
Come
(intransitive) To move from further away to nearer to.
She’ll be coming ’round the mountain when she comes...
Comes
The answer to the theme (dux) in a fugue.
Come
To move towards the speaker.
I called the dog, but she wouldn't come.
Stop dawdling and come here!
Comes
Third-person singular form of "come."
She comes to the library every morning.
Come
To move towards the listener.
Hold on, I'll come in a second.
You should ask the doctor to come to your house.
Comes
Used to show habitual actions of a third-person singular subject.
He comes here often.
Come
To move towards the object that is the focus of the sentence.
No-one can find Bertie Wooster when his aunts come to visit.
Hundreds of thousands of people come to Disneyland every year.
Come
(in subordinate clauses and gerunds) To move towards the agent or subject of the main clause.
King Cnut couldn't stop the tide coming.
He threw the boomerang, which came right back to him.
Come
To move towards an unstated agent.
The butler should come when called.
Come
(intransitive) To arrive.
Come
(intransitive) To appear, to manifest itself.
The pain in his leg comes and goes.
Come
(with an infinitive) To begin to have an opinion or feeling.
We came to believe that he was not so innocent after all.
She came to think of that country as her home.
Come
(with an infinitive) To do something by chance, without intending to do it.
Could you tell me how the document came to be discovered?
Come
(intransitive) To take a position relative to something else in a sequence.
Which letter comes before Y?
Winter comes after autumn.
Come
To become butter by being churned.
Come
To approach a state of being or accomplishment.
They came very close to leaving on time.
His test scores came close to perfect.
One of the screws came loose, and the skateboard fell apart.
Come
To take a particular approach or point of view in regard to something.
He came to SF literature a confirmed technophile, and nothing made him happier than to read a manuscript thick with imaginary gizmos and whatzits.
Come
To become, to turn out to be.
He was a dream come true.
Come
(intransitive) To be supplied, or made available; to exist.
He's as tough as they come.
Our milkshakes come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours.
A new sports car doesn't come cheap.
Come
(slang) To carry through; to succeed in.
You can't come any tricks here.
Come
(intransitive) Happen.
This kind of accident comes when you are careless.
Come
To have as an origin, originate.
Come
To have a certain social background.
Come
To be or have been a resident or native.
Where did you come from?
Come
To have been brought up by or employed by.
She comes from a good family.
He comes from a disreputable legal firm.
Come
To begin (at a certain location); to radiate or stem (from).
The river comes from Bear Lake.
Where does this road come from?
Come
To germinate.
Come
To pretend to be; to behave in the manner of.
Don’t come the innocent victim. We all know who’s to blame here.
Come
(obsolete) Coming, arrival; approach.
Come
Semen
Come
Female ejaculatory discharge.
Come
Senseid|en|typography}} {{alternative form of commain its medieval use as a middot ⟨·⟩ serving as a form of colon.
Come
Used to indicate a point in time at or after which a stated event or situation occurs.
Leave it to settle for about three months and, come Christmas time, you'll have a delicious concoction to offer your guests.
Come retirement, their Social Security may turn out to be a lot less than they counted on.
Come summer, we would all head off to the coast.
Come
An exclamation to express annoyance.
Come come! Stop crying.
Come now! You must eat it.
Come
An exclamation to express encouragement, or to precede a request.
Come come! You can do it.
Come now! It won't bite you.
Come
To move hitherward; to draw near; to approach the speaker, or some place or person indicated; - opposed to go.
Look, who comes yonder?
I did not come to curse thee.
Come
To complete a movement toward a place; to arrive.
When we came to Rome.
Lately come from Italy.
Come
To approach or arrive, as if by a journey or from a distance.
The hour is coming, and now is.
So quick bright things come to confusion.
Come
To approach or arrive, as the result of a cause, or of the act of another.
From whence come wars?
Both riches and honor come of thee !
Come
To arrive in sight; to be manifest; to appear.
Then butter does refuse to come.
Come
To get to be, as the result of change or progress; - with a predicate; as, to come untied.
How come you thus estranged?
How come her eyes so bright?
Think not that I am come to destroy.
We are come off like Romans.
The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year.
They were criedIn meeting, come next Sunday.
On better thoughts, and my urged reasons,They are come about, and won to the true side.
Come
To carry through; to succeed in; as, you can't come any tricks here.
Come
Coming.
Come
Move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody;
He came singing down the road
Come with me to the Casbah
Come down here!
Come out of the closet!
Come into the room
Come
Reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress;
She arrived home at 7 o'clock
She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight
Come
Come to pass; arrive, as in due course;
The first success came three days later
It came as a shock
Dawn comes early in June
Come
Reach a state, relation, or condition;
The water came to a boil
We came to understand the true meaning of life
Their anger came to a boil
I came to realize the true meaning of life
Come
To be the product or result;
Melons come from a vine
Understanding comes from experience
Come
Enter or assume a condition, relation, use, or position;
He came into contact with a terrorist group
The shoes came untied
I came to see his point of view
Her face went red with anger
The knot came loose
Your wish will come true
Come
Be found or available;
These shoes come in three colors; The furniture comes unassembled
Come
Come forth;
A scream came from the woman's mouth
His breath came hard
Come
Be a native of;
She hails from Kalamazoo
Come
Extend or reach;
The water came up to my waist
The sleeves come to your knuckles
Come
Exist or occur in a certain point in a series;
Next came the student from France
Come
Come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example;
She was descended from an old Italian noble family
He comes from humble origins
Come
Cover a certain distance;
She came a long way
Come
Come under, be classified or included;
Fall into a category
This comes under a new heading
Come
Happen as a result;
Nothing good will come of this
Come
Add up in number or quantity;
The bills amounted to $2,000
The bill came to $2,000
Come
Develop into;
This idea will never amount to anything
Nothing came of his grandiose plans
Come
Be received;
News came in of the massacre in Rwanda
Come
Come to one's mind; suggest itself;
It occurred to me that we should hire another secretary
A great idea then came to her
Come
Proceed or get along;
How is she doing in her new job?
How are you making out in graduate school?
He's come a long way
Come
Have a certain priority;
My family comes first
Come
Base form of the verb "come."
I come to school by bike.
Come
Used with first-person, second-person, and plural subjects.
We come to the meetings every week.
FAQs
What is "comes"?
"Comes" is the third-person singular form of the verb "come."
Is "come" used in past tenses?
"Come" is used as a past participle in perfect tenses (e.g., has come) but not as a simple past form.
Can "comes" be used with "I" or "they"?
No, "comes" is only used with third-person singular subjects (he, she, it).
How do you use "come" in a sentence?
"We come to the gym every morning."
Is "comes" used in imperative sentences?
No, "come" is used in imperative sentences (e.g., Come here).
What is the base form of "comes"?
The base form of "comes" is "come."
What is an example of "come" in the present tense?
"You come to the office early every day."
When do you use "come"?
"Come" is used for all subjects except third-person singular and in various grammatical contexts like imperative and perfect tenses.
How do you use "comes" in a sentence?
"He comes to the gym every morning."
Can "come" be used with "we" or "you"?
Yes, "come" is used with "we," "you," and other subjects.
Is "come" used for singular subjects?
"Come" is used for singular subjects except in the third-person singular present tense.
What is the past participle form of "come"?
The past participle form of "come" is "come."
How do "comes" and "come" differ in usage?
"Comes" is specific to third-person singular present tense, while "come" is used in other contexts and forms.
What form is "comes" in the sentence "She comes home"?
"Comes" is the third-person singular present tense form.
Is "come" the infinitive form?
Yes, "come" is the infinitive form of the verb.
Can "comes" be used in perfect tenses?
No, perfect tenses use "come" as the past participle (e.g., has come).
What is the imperative form of "come"?
The imperative form is "come" (e.g., Come quickly).
Do "comes" and "come" have different meanings?
No, they have the same basic meaning but are used differently based on grammatical rules.
What is an example of "come" as a past participle?
"She has come to the conclusion that we need change."
Does "comes" apply to habitual actions?
Yes, "comes" can describe habitual actions for third-person singular subjects.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
