ven
/ben/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'come over' is translated into Spanish as ven.
The term is used to express the act of getting to a place. While English often uses 'come over' to imply movement toward a person's location, Spanish frequently uses the verb venir (to come) to express this same intent. For example, you can use Ven a mi casa to invite someone specifically to your house or Pasa por aquí to ask someone to come around your location without specifying a destination.
Meaning: to get to a place (verb)
Which one should you use?
The form ven is used for a single person in an informal context, whereas venga is the formal singular form and vengan is used when addressing a group of people.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American Spanish, you may hear Ven para acá to mean 'come over here' or Pásate as a casual way to say 'come over' in countries like Peru or Chile. In Peninsular Spanish (Spain), it is common to use Ven a casa to invite someone to come over and Acércate can be used to ask someone to 'come closer'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ven is the informal imperative (command) form of the verb venir. The form venga is the formal imperative form, and vengan is the imperative form used when addressing multiple people.
How do you pronounce it?
/ben/
Did you know?
- In parts of South America, you might hear caer used colloquely, as in caer por casa, which literally means 'to fall by the house' to mean 'to drop by/come over'.
- The formal command venga is frequently used as a filler word or an expression of agreement similar to 'okay' or 'all right'. In this context, it has nothing to do with asking someone to 'come over'.
- While ven is a command, it is often paired with the word anda in Spain to soften the request. Saying Anda, ven makes the invitation sound more like a persuasive 'come on' rather than a strict order.
Examples in context
- Ven aquí y ayúdame.Come over here and help me.This sentence is useful for practicing the command ven to ask for help.Tatoeba #842241 by Shishir, translation #2986073 by CK
- Ven a nuestra mesa.Come over to our table.This sentence shows how to use ven to invite someone to a specific location like a table.Tatoeba #2149087 by Shishir, translation #1972616 by CK
- Ven aquí y únetenos.Come over here and join us.This sentence demonstrates using ven to ask someone to join a group.Tatoeba #1351446 by marcelostockle, translation #61465 by CK
- Le ruego que venga a mi oficina mañana a las 9 de la mañana.I kindly request that you come to my office tomorrow at 9 a.m.
- Ven a mi casa después del trabajo para tomar café.Come to my house after work to have some coffee.
- Ven para acá, te mostraré mi nuevo proyecto.Come over here, I'll show you my new project.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A phone call between friends during a weekend.
- María¡Ven a mi casa!Come over to my house!
- Daniel¿A qué hora quieres que vaya?What time do you want me to go?
- MaríaVen ahora mismo, Daniel.Come over right now, Daniel.
- DanielEstá bien, voy para allá.Okay, I'm heading there.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
