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Why This Phrase Traps Learners

German is often praised for its logic and precision — but sometimes one tiny phrase shows how much context matters.

In everyday German, kommen means to come, to arrive.
In sexual slang, kommen also means to orgasm.

So the innocent Ich komme gleich can mean:

  • Neutral: I’ll be right there / I’m coming soon.
  • Sexual: I’m about to come.

This is the perfect example of a double-life verb: same form, different worlds.

What Germans Actually Hear

  • Office / daily life: Ich komme gleich = “I’ll be right there.” Neutral; nobody blinks.
  • Among friends / youth: often heard with a wink.
  • In bed: 100% literal: “I’m about to climax.”

For learners, this double coding can be confusing; for native speakers, switching between meanings is automatic.

How to Avoid (or Keep) the Ambiguity

Safe, unambiguous options

  • Ich bin gleich da. — “I’ll be right there.”
  • Ich komme sofort. — “I’m coming immediately.”
  • Ich bin unterwegs. — “I’m already on my way.”

If you want the playful edge

  • Ich komme gleich… — let context do the work. 😉

How “soon” is “soon”?

German has a whole scale of “now / soon”:

  • sofort — immediately, right now.
  • jetzt — now (this very moment).
  • gleich — soon / in a minute (flexible: seconds… a few minutes).
  • bald — soon (vague, later today / near future).

Mini Dialogues

Boss: Kommst du kurz rüber?
You: Ich bin gleich da. ✅

Friend: Party at eight?
You (grinning): Ich komme gleich… 😉

Cross-language echoes

  • English:
    I’m coming! — same double sense.
  • Russian:
    «Я сейчас приду» = neutral, “I’ll be right there.”
    «Я сейчас кончу» = sexual, “I’m about to climax.”
  • Ukrainian:
    «Я зараз прийду» = neutral, “I’ll be right there.”
    «Я зараз закінчу» = sexual, “I’m about to climax.”

Conclusion

This is not nonsense — it’s the double life of words.

In daily life, Ich komme gleich is harmless.
In intimacy, it’s crystal clear.
Need precision? Say sofort or bin gleich da.
Want a wink? Leave it as Ich komme gleich.

This small phrase shows what language really is: not rules in a book, but living choices people make in real time.

🔗 Related articles

Series: Words with a Double Life
👤 Author: Tymur Levitin — founder, director & lead teacher, Levitin Language School
© Tymur Levitin, Levitin Language School