venir
/və.niʁ/
The English phrase 'to come' is translated as venir in French.
venir is used to express movement toward the speaker or a specific destination that has been established in a conversation. Beyond physical movement, it is also used in the construction venir de followed by an infinitive to express that someone has just done something, similar to the English 'to have just [verb]'.
Which one should you use?
While the English 'to come' can be used in many broad contexts, the French venir specifically emphasizes the direction of movement toward the speaker or a destination already being discussed.
How does it change in a sentence?
When forming the passé composé, venir uses the auxiliary verb être instead of avoir. The past participle of venir is venu, which is used to build these compound tenses, such as in the form est venu (has come/came).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /və.niʁ/.
Did you know?
- In French, if you are going to meet someone at a destination, you use aller (to go) even if you are moving toward them, whereas in English you would say 'I am coming'.
- The English word 'adventure' shares a distant linguistic ancestor with venir, as both stem from the Latin root meaning 'to come' or 'to arrive'.
- The verb venir is used in the expression en venir à, which means to reach a point where one is forced to do something unpleasant or extreme.
Examples in context
- Le président va venir à la réunion demain.The president will come to the meeting tomorrow.
- Madame Dupont, je viens chez vous pour discuter des détails du projet.Madame Dupont, I'm coming to your place to discuss the project details.
- Le médecin vient chez le patient pour effectuer une visite à domicile.The doctor is coming to the patient's place for a home visit.
- Je viens de terminer le rapport.I have just finished the report.
- Je viens de l'épicerie, j'ai acheté les ingrédients pour le dîner.I'm coming from the grocery store, I bought the ingredients for dinner.
- On vient de la plage, il faisait vraiment chaud aujourd'hui !We are coming from the beach, it was really hot today!
- Je viens chez toi demain soir, ça te va ?I'm coming to your place tomorrow night, is that okay with you?
- On vient chez nos amis pour regarder un film ce soir.We're coming to our friends' place to watch a movie tonight.
- Je viens de Paris.I come from Paris.
- Il vient de manger.He has just eaten.
- Est-ce que tu peux venir ici ?Can you come here?
- Je vais venir avec toi.I am going to come with you.
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are planning to meet at a cafe.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu peux venir au café ?Can you come to the cafe?
- GabrielOui, je peux venir dans dix minutes.Yes, I can come in ten minutes.
- ChloéSuper, je t'attends alors !Great, I'll wait for you then!
- GabrielÀ tout de suite, Chloé.See you in a bit, Chloé.
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.
