venir (to come)
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | Class 3 (-ir) |
| Stem | ven- (irregular: veng- in yo, vien-/vin- stem-changes) |
| Regularity | irregular — yo-form + e→ie stem change + irregular preterite/future/gerund |
| Participle | venido (regular) |
| Gerund | viniendo (irregular: e→i) |
Closely parallels tener — same -go yo form, same e→ie present stem change, same irregular-stem pattern in the preterite and future. Learning them together reinforces both.
Present
Like tener, the yo form takes -go, and every other form except nosotros/vosotros stem-changes e → ie.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vengo |
| tú | vienes |
| él/ella/usted | viene |
| nosotros | venimos |
| vosotros | venís |
| ellos/ustedes | vienen |
Preterite
Irregular stem vin- with the same irregular preterite endings as tener/estar.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vine |
| tú | viniste |
| él/ella/usted | vino |
| nosotros | vinimos |
| vosotros | vinisteis |
| ellos/ustedes | vinieron |
Imperfect
Fully regular.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | venía |
| tú | venías |
| él/ella/usted | venía |
| nosotros | veníamos |
| vosotros | veníais |
| ellos/ustedes | venían |
Future
Irregular stem vendr- replaces the infinitive before the regular future endings.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendré |
| tú | vendrás |
| él/ella/usted | vendrá |
| nosotros | vendremos |
| vosotros | vendréis |
| ellos/ustedes | vendrán |
Conditional
Same irregular stem vendr-, regular conditional endings.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | vendría |
| tú | vendrías |
| él/ella/usted | vendría |
| nosotros | vendríamos |
| vosotros | vendríais |
| ellos/ustedes | vendrían |
Present perfect
haber (present) + venido — regular participle.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he venido |
| tú | has venido |
| él/ella/usted | ha venido |
| nosotros | hemos venido |
| vosotros | habéis venido |
| ellos/ustedes | han venido |
Commands (imperative)
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | ven | no vengas |
| usted | venga | no venga |
| vosotros | venid | no vengáis |
| ustedes | vengan | no vengan |
The tú affirmative ven is a short irregular form, just like tener’s ten. See Conjugation — Commands.
venir vs. ir
Both translate as movement verbs, but they’re relative to the speaker’s location, not interchangeable.
| Use | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Movement toward the speaker (here) | venir | Ven aquí. (Come here.) |
| Movement away from the speaker (there) | ir | Voy a la tienda. (I’m going to the store.) |
❌ Voy a tu casa ahora said while the listener is expecting the speaker → when the destination is where the listener is, Spanish (like English “I’m coming”) often prefers vengo: Vengo a tu casa ahora.
Examples
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo vengo de la oficina. | I’m coming from the office. |
| ¿Vienes a la fiesta esta noche? | Are you coming to the party tonight? |
| Ella viene todos los días a las ocho. | She comes every day at eight. |
| Nosotros venimos en tren. | We’re coming by train. |
| Vosotros veníais aquí de niños. | You all used to come here as kids. |
| Ellos vendrán mañana por la tarde. | They will come tomorrow afternoon. |
| Yo vine tan pronto como pude. | I came as soon as I could. |
| Yo he venido a pedirte un favor. | I have come to ask you a favor. |
| Ven aquí ahora mismo. (tú) | Come here right now. |
| ¿De dónde vienes? | Where are you coming from? |
Common mistakes
- ❌ Yo veno → ✅ Yo vengo — the yo form takes -go, not the expected -o
- ❌ Ella viena → ✅ Ella viene — nosotros/vosotros keep e, everyone else stem-changes to ie
- ❌ Yo venié ayer → ✅ Yo vine ayer — irregular preterite stem vin-, not a regular -ir preterite
- ❌ Veniendo for the gerund → ✅ viniendo — the stem vowel changes e→i in the gerund, same pattern as pedir → pidiendo
Summary
- Irregular -ir verb: yo-go form (vengo) + e→ie stem change (vienes, viene, vienen) in the present
- Irregular preterite stem vin-, irregular future/conditional stem vendr-, irregular gerund viniendo (e→i); the participle venido and imperfect are regular
- Direction is relative to the speaker: venir = toward here, ir = away/there
See also: tener — the closest structural twin: same -go yo form and e→ie pattern.
See also: Conjugation — Present — venir alongside other irregular present-tense verbs.
See also: Conjugation — Future & Conditional — vendr- alongside other irregular stems.