venir
Lemma Details
Translation: to come; to arrive; to happen; to occur
Part of Speech: verb
Etymology: Venir comes from Latin 'venire' meaning 'to come'. This Latin root is also found in English words like 'convene' (come together), 'advent' (coming), 'venture' (originally meaning to come forward with risk), and 'convention' (a coming together). The Indo-European root is *gʷem- which gave rise to words related to coming and going in many languages.
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 60%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Voy a venir a tu casa mañana.
I'm going to come to your house tomorrow.
Ella viene de México.
She comes from Mexico.
Los problemas vienen cuando menos los esperas.
Problems come when you least expect them.
Esta tradición viene de hace siglos.
This tradition comes from centuries ago.
Me vendría bien un café ahora.
A coffee would be good for me right now.
Mnemonics
- Think of an 'event' (which sounds like 'venir') as something people come to attend.
- The 'ven' in 'venir' sounds like 'when' - as in 'When are you coming?'
- Remember that 'convene' in English (to come together) shares the same Latin root.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Cultural Context
Venir is one of the most essential Spanish verbs. It's used not only for physical movement but in many idiomatic expressions. The phrase '¿De dónde vienes?' (Where do you come from?) is often one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new in Spanish-speaking cultures.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'venir' means 'to come' (movement toward the speaker or reference point), 'ir' means 'to go' (movement away from the speaker or reference point).
Confused word:
Voy a tu casa esta noche.
I'm going to your house tonight.
Notes: The perspective is crucial: 'venir' indicates movement toward the speaker's location or reference point, while 'ir' indicates movement away from it.
Mnemonic: Venir is for coming toward you (VENir = when are you coming?), while ir is for going away (IR = I'm going).
Explanation: 'Venir' (to come) and 'tener' (to have) look somewhat similar but have completely different meanings and conjugations.
Confused word:
Vamos a tener una fiesta.
We are going to have a party.
Notes: Both are irregular verbs but follow different conjugation patterns.
Mnemonic: Tener starts with T for 'Take/possess' (having), while Venir starts with V for 'Visit' (coming).