venir
/beˈniɾ/
The English phrase "come" is translated into Spanish as venir.
venir is a verb used to describe arriving or appearing. It is specifically used when the movement is toward the speaker's current location. This distinguishes it from ir, which is used for movement away from the speaker.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, it is common to use vení instead of ven for the informal imperative form.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb venir changes according to the subject and tense. In the present indicative, the forms are vengo (I come/am coming), vienes (you informal come/are coming), viene (he/she/it comes/is coming) and vienen (they/you all come/are coming). In the preterite past tense, the forms are vine (I came), viniste (you came) and vino (he/she/it came).
How do you pronounce it?
/beˈniɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse venir (to come) with traer (to bring). Use venir to describe a person's movement and traer when an object is being moved.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, you cannot say 'I am coming' to mean 'I am on my way' if you are moving toward someone else. You must use voy from the verb ir because you are moving away from your current spot.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying ya vengo literally means 'I am coming now', but it is actually used to say 'I'll be right back'.
- The Latin veni from which venir descends is famously used in Julius Caesar's phrase Veni, vidi, vici, meaning 'I came, I saw, I conquered'.
Examples in context
- No la vio venir.I didn't see her come.This sentence shows the use of venir to describe seeing someone arrive.Tatoeba #8326787 by arh, translation #8391497 by helloroto
- Yo lo haré venir.I will have him come.This sentence demonstrates how to use venir in a future context.Tatoeba #1253633 by marcelostockle, translation #285192 by CK
- Deja venir a Tom.Let Tom come.This sentence shows how to use venir in an imperative sense.Tatoeba #2625312 by Shishir, translation #2235850 by CK
- Señor López, venga a la reunión de la junta directiva.Mr. Lopez, come to the board meeting, please.
- Mamá, ven a la sala para ver esta película.Mom, come to the living room to watch this movie.
- ¡Vení a casa de Juanita mañana!Come to Juanita's house tomorrow!
- 414 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are waiting for a friend at a cafe.
- Javier¿A qué hora va a venir nuestro amigo?What time is our friend going to come?
- SofíaDijo que iba a venir a las cinco.He said he was going to come at five.
- JavierMira, creo que ya lo veo venir.Look, I think I see him coming now.
- SofíaSí, por fin puede venir.Yes, he can finally come.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry venir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
