Which one should you use?
Use venir when the movement is toward the speaker or the person being addressed. In contrast, use ir for movement away from the speaker.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, ¡Pásale! is used as an informal way to call someone over.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on the subject and tense. The first-person singular present indicative is vengo (I come) and the first-person singular preterite is vine (I came). For the second-person singular informal present indicative, use vienes (you come). The third-person plural present subjunctive form is vengan (they/you all come).
How do you pronounce it?
/beˈniɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use venir instead of ir when describing movement toward a destination that is not the speaker's current location.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word venir is a distant relative of the English word 'venue'. Both originate from the Latin 'venio', meaning 'I come'.
- The verb venir is used in the common idiomatic expression venirse abajo, which literally means 'to come down' but is used to mean 'to collapse' or 'to be devastated'.
- The phrase venir al caso is used to say that something 'comes to the point' or is relevant to the discussion.
Examples in context
- No la vio venir.I didn't see her come.This sentence shows the use of venir in a negative observation.Tatoeba #8326787 by arh, translation #8391497 by helloroto
- Yo lo haré venir.I will have him come.This sentence demonstrates how to express a future intention using venir.Tatoeba #1253633 by marcelostockle, translation #285192 by CK
- Deja venir a Tom.Let Tom come.This sentence shows how to use venir to express permission or instruction.Tatoeba #2625312 by Shishir, translation #2235850 by CK
- Venid a la mesa, por favor.Come to the table, please.
- Venga a la conferencia, señor.Come to the conference, sir.
- Ven a la fiesta esta noche.Come to the party tonight.
- Vengan a mi casa para la cena.Come to my house for dinner.
- ¡Pásale, amigo! Ven a ver la nueva película.Come over, buddy! Come and watch the new movie.
- Apurate, vení a ver esto.Hurry up, come and see this.
- ¡Chévere, ven a escuchar esta nueva canción!Cool, come and listen to this new song!
- 414 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are waiting for a friend at a cafe.
- Alejandro¿Sabes si puede venir ella?Do you know if she can come?
- SofíaSí, ella va a venir en diez minutos.Yes, she is going to come in ten minutes.
- AlejandroQué bueno que pueda venir pronto.It's good that she can come soon.
- SofíaEspera a que venga para pedir la cena.Wait for her to arrive before ordering dinner.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry venir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries venir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
