Venir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

venir — to come — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Venir means to come: venir a casa, venir de Madrid. It is a go-verb (vengo) with the irregular preterite vine, the future stem vendr- and the gerund viniendo. Venir de + place means to come from; venir a + infinitive is to come to do something. On this page you will find venir in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with venir

In the present tense

  • “Yo vengo a clase en bicicleta.” — “I come to class by bike.”
  • “Ella viene de Sevilla cada fin de semana.” — “She comes from Seville every weekend.”
  • “Nosotros venimos a cenar esta noche.” — “We are coming for dinner tonight.”
  • “Ellos vienen al gimnasio por la mañana.” — “They come to the gym in the morning.”
  • “¿Tú vienes con nosotros al cine?” — “Are you coming with us to the cinema?”
  • “Vosotros venís de lejos, ¿verdad?” — “You come from far away, right?”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo vine a verte al hospital.” — “Yesterday I came to see you at the hospital.”
  • “Ella vino en tren desde Barcelona.” — “She came by train from Barcelona.”
  • “Nosotros vinimos a la fiesta con nuestros hijos.” — “We came to the party with our children.”
  • “Ellos vinieron a España en 2015.” — “They came to Spain in 2015.”
  • “¿Tú viniste solo o con amigos?” — “Did you come alone or with friends?”
  • “El paquete vino por correo ayer.” — “The parcel came by post yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo venía a clase en bicicleta.” — “As a child, I used to come to class by bike.”
  • “Mañana, yo vendré a clase en bicicleta.” — “Tomorrow, I will come to class by bike.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo vendría a clase en bicicleta.” — “If I could, I would come to class by bike.”
  • “Yo he venido a clase en bicicleta.” — “I have come to class by bike.”

Venir in context

Cada día, yo vengo a clase en bicicleta. Mi amigo también viene a clase en bicicleta cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo vengo a clase de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de venir es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo vine a clase en bicicleta. Mi amigo vino a clase en bicicleta también, y por la noche yo vine a clase otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de venir aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with venir

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo veno a clase.

Right: Yo vengo a clase.

The yo form is vengo — venir is a go-verb, not veno.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Ayer yo vení a verte.

Right: Ayer yo vengo a verte.

The preterite is vine, from the irregular vin- stem — never vení.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem instead of the changed stem.

Right: Use the changed stem in the stressed forms: vengo.

The e → ie stem change applies to venir in the present — the yo form is vengo, not the infinitive stem.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Treating venir as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present vengo, preterite vine.

venir is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: venir in everyday use

Ten questions on venir across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of venir in the present tense?

  • A) vengo
  • B) vienes
  • C) viene
  • D) venimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is vengo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of venir in the present tense?

  • A) vengo
  • B) vienes
  • C) venimos
  • D) viene

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is viene.

3. What is the yo form of venir in the preterite?

  • A) vino
  • B) vinimos
  • C) vine
  • D) viniste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is vine.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of venir in the preterite?

  • A) vino
  • B) vinieron
  • C) vine
  • D) viniste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is vinieron.

5. What is the yo form of venir in the imperfect?

  • A) venía
  • B) venías
  • C) venía
  • D) veníamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is venía.

6. What is the tú form of venir in the future?

  • A) vendré
  • B) vendrá
  • C) vendremos
  • D) vendrás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is vendrás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of venir in the conditional?

  • A) vendrías
  • B) vendríamos
  • C) vendría
  • D) vendría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is vendría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of venir in the present perfect?

  • A) ha venido
  • B) hemos venido
  • C) he venido
  • D) has venido

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos venido.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ a clase en bicicleta.” (I come to class by bike.)

  • A) vengo
  • B) vienes
  • C) viene
  • D) venimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs vengo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo vengo a clase.
  • B) Yo veno a clase.

Answer: A — The yo form is vengo — venir is a go-verb, not veno.

Frequently asked questions

What does venir mean?

venir means “to come” in English. Venir means to come: venir a casa, venir de Madrid. It is a go-verb (vengo) with the irregular preterite vine, the future stem vendr- and the gerund viniendo. Venir de + place means to come from; venir a + infinitive is to come to do something.

Is venir regular?

No. venir is an e → ie stem-changing irregular -ir verb (irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use venir in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — vine, viniste, vino — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — venía, venías, venía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to venir as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise venir?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Venir Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for venir to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo vengo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo vine…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo vendré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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