Spanish For Dummies
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Spanish verbs fall into different groups, and each group is conjugated a little differently. If you’re going to master Spanish verbs like venir (to come), you need to be able to identify which group a verb belongs to:
  • Regular: Follows regular conjugation rules for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs
  • Stem-changing: Morphs depending on how you use it in a sentence
  • Spelling-changing: Has consonant-spelling changes in some forms to follow pronunciation rules
  • Reflexive: Reflects the action back on the subject of the sentence
But then there are those verbs that refuse to be lumped into a category: the irregulars.

Present tense conjugation

In the present tense, venir (bvehn-eer) has an e-to-ie stem change in all but the yo, nosotros, and vosotros forms. The yo form is completely irregular. Other popular irregular Spanish verbs include: hacer, querer, venir and ser. Here’s the present tense conjugation:
The Present Tense of Venir
Conjugation Translation
yo vengo I come
tú vienes You (informal) come
él/ella/ello/uno viene He/she/one comes
usted viene You (formal) come
nosotros venimos We come
vosotros venís You all (informal) come
ellos/ellas vienen They come
ustedes vienen You all (formal) come
The following examples show you venir in action:

  • Rodolfo y Marisol vienen de la playa. (Rodolfo and Marisol are coming from the beach.)

  • Yo vengo del auditorio. (I am coming from the auditorium.)

Preterit tense conjugation

In the preterit, venir has an irregular stem: vin-. Notice also that it doesn’t have the accent marks regular verbs use in the preterit. Take a look:
The Preterit Tense of Venir
Conjugation Translation
yo vine I came
tú viniste You (informal) came
él/ella/ello/uno vino He/she/one came
usted vino You (formal) came
nosotros vinimos We came
vosotros vinisteis You all (informal) came
ellos/ellas vinieron They came
ustedes vinieron You all (formal) came
You use the preterit tense like this:

  • Nosotros vinimos tarde a la fiesta. (We came to the party late.)

  • ¿Vinieron ustedes temprano? (Did you come early?)

Imperfect tense conjugation

You’re off the hook with the stem change in the imperfect; venir conjugates normally in this tense. Check out the following table and examples.
The Imperfect Tense of Venir
Conjugation Translation
yo venía I used to come
tú venías You (informal) used to come
él/ella/ello/uno venía He/she/one used to come
usted venía You (formal) used to come
nosotros veníamos We used to come
vosotros veníais You all (informal) used to come
ellos/ellas venían They used to come
ustedes venían You all (formal) used to come
Here are some examples of the imperfect tense:

  • Veníamos al estadio por la mañana. (We used to come to the stadium in the morning.)

  • Vine sin mi pasaporte. (I came without my passport.)

Future tense conjugation

Venir also has an irregular stem in the future tense: vendr-. However, it does use the normal future endings:
The Future Tense of Venir
Conjugation Translation
yo vendré I will come
tú vendrás You (informal) will come
él/ella/ello/uno vendrá He/she/one will come
usted vendrá You (formal) will come
nosotros vendremos We will come
vosotros vendréis You all (informal) will come
ellos/ellas vendrán They will come
ustedes vendrán You all (formal) will come
The following samples put the future tense to work:

  • Ellos vendrán a nuestra casa para la recepción. (The will come to our house for the reception.)

  • ¿Vendrás tú con tus padres? (Will you come with your parents?)

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