Venir Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The preterite of venir — to come — is the form you need for finished actions in the past. 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. This page gives you the complete preterite table for venir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ayer yo vine a verte al hospital.” — “Yesterday I came to see you at the hospital”.

Preterite conjugation of venir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for venir. Venir is an e → ie stem-changing irregular -ir verb (irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Preterite indicative — venir

Person Form
yo vine
tú viniste
él/ella/Ud. vino
nosotros/as vinimos
vosotros/as vinisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. vinieron

The gerund of venir is viniendo and the past participle is venido. The participle matters here because the preterite is often confused with the perfect tenses — keep them apart.

How the preterite of venir is formed

The preterite of venir does not follow the regular pattern. If venir were regular, the preterite forms would be yo → vení, tú → veniste, él/ella/Ud. → venió, nosotros/as → venimos, vosotros/as → venisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → venieron — but venir breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis and vinieron.

The preterite stem here is vin-, which you cannot get from the infinitive by rule — it has to be learnt as part of the verb. The endings then attach to that stem: vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis and vinieron. This is the same pattern the verb follows in the imperfect subjunctive, which is built on the preterite third-person plural, so learning the preterite pays twice.

A note on spelling: none of the preterite forms of venir carries a written accent, which is one less thing to memorise — but do not add one by habit. Copy the forms from the table above exactly as written.

When to use the preterite of venir

1. Completed actions at a specific time

Use the preterite for an action that started and finished in the past. For example, with venir: “Ayer yo vine a verte al hospital.” — “Yesterday I came to see you at the hospital”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. A sequence of actions

Use the preterite to list one finished action after another. For example, with venir: “Ella vino en tren desde Barcelona.” — “She came by train from Barcelona”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. Actions that interrupt an ongoing situation

Use the preterite for the action that breaks into a longer background scene. For example, with venir: “Nosotros vinimos a la fiesta con nuestros hijos.” — “We came to the party with our children”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Sudden changes and achievements

Use the preterite for a change of state or something achieved at one moment. For example, with venir: “Ellos vinieron a España en 2015.” — “They came to Spain in 2015”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Preterite vs imperfect: venir finished, venir in progress

The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is the hardest decision in Spanish past-tense grammar. The preterite is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, what used to happen, and the background. Compare the pairs below — the preterite form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Preterite tense: “Ayer yo vine a clase.” — “Yesterday I came to class.”

  • Imperfect: “De niño, yo venía a clase.” — “As a child, I used to come to class.”

  • Preterite tense: “Ella vino a clase a las ocho.” — “She came to class at eight.”

  • Imperfect: “Ella venía a clase cada día.” — “She used to come to class every day.”

  • Preterite tense: “Nosotros vinimos a clase el sábado.” — “We came to class on Saturday.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros veníamos a clase todos los sábados.” — “We used to come to class every Saturday.”

Example sentences: venir in the preterite

Six sentences using only the preterite of venir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “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.”

Common mistakes with venir in the preterite

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo veno a clase.

Right: Yo vine 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 vine a verte.

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

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem in a stressed form.

Right: Use the changed stem: vine.

The e → ie stem change applies to the stressed forms of venir — the yo form is vine, not the plain stem.

Quiz: venir in the preterite

Eight questions on the preterite of venir. Answers with explanations follow each question.

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

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

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

2. What is the tú form of venir in the preterite?

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

Answer: D — The tú form in the preterite is viniste.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of venir in the preterite?

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

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite is vino.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of venir in the preterite?

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

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the preterite is vinimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Ayer yo ___ a verte al hospital.” (Yesterday I came to see you at the hospital.)

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

Answer: A — The sentence needs vine.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ en tren desde Barcelona.” (She came by train from Barcelona.)

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

Answer: D — The sentence needs vino.

7. Which sentence is correct?

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

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

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Ayer yo vine a verte.
  • B) Ayer yo vení a verte.

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

Frequently asked questions

Is venir regular in the preterite?

No. venir is irregular in the preterite: the forms are vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis and vinieron. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of venir in the preterite?

It is vine. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for venir it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the preterite of venir instead of the present?

Use the preterite when the action is finished and tied to a specific moment — yesterday, last week, at eight o’clock. If the action was ongoing, habitual, or just background to another event, the imperfect is the right choice, not the preterite.

How can I remember the preterite forms of venir?

Say the six forms aloud in order — vine, viniste, vino, vinimos, vinisteis, vinieron — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and 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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