venir

Irregular Verb Venir (To Come)

Level 1

Venir (to come) is a vital irregular verb. It changes its stem from vien- to ven- depending on the subject, and it is used for both physical movement and the 'recent past' (I just...).

How It Works

1. Present Tense Conjugation
The conjugation of venir is irregular and must be memorized:

  • Je viens (I come)
  • Tu viens (You come - informal)
  • Il/Elle/On vient (He/She/One comes)
  • Nous venons (We come)
  • Vous venez (You come - formal/plural)
  • Ils/Elles viennent (They come)

2. Stem Changes and Pronunciation
Notice the three stems:

  • vien- (Singular): The 'n' is silent and nasalizes the vowel.
  • ven- (Nous/Vous): The 'e' is a soft schwa sound.
  • vienn- (Ils/Elles): The double 'n' makes the 'e' sound like 'eh' and is not nasalized.

3. Key Functions

  • Movement: To come toward the speaker. Tu viens chez moi ? (Are you coming to my place?)
  • Origin: Used with de to say where you are from. Je viens de Lyon. (I come from Lyon.)
  • Recent Past: Used as venir de + infinitive to say you 'just' did something.
  • Compound Tenses: Note that venir is a 'Vandertramp' verb, meaning it uses être as its auxiliary verb in the passé composé.

4. Derivatives
Verbs derived from venir, such as revenir (to come back) and provenir (to come from), follow this exact same conjugation pattern.

Examples (5)

  1. Je viens de France.

    I come from France.

    Word by Word: I come from France.

    Using 'venir' with the preposition 'de' indicates one's place of origin.

  2. Est-ce que tu viens à la fête ce soir ?

    Are you coming to the party tonight?

    Word by Word: Is it that you come to the party this evening?

    In questions, 'venir' indicates movement toward the location of the speaker or the event.

  3. Nous venons au restaurant avec vous.

    We are coming to the restaurant with you.

    Word by Word: We come to the restaurant with you.

    Note the stem change to 'ven-' for the 'nous' form.

  4. Ils viennent de finir leurs devoirs.

    They have just finished their homework.

    Word by Word: They come from to finish their homework.

    This demonstrates the 'recent past' construction: venir + de + infinitive.

  5. Vous venez d'où ?

    Where do you come from?

    Word by Word: You come from where?

    A common way to ask someone's origin using the formal 'vous'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'venir' instead of 'aller' for general movement.

    Je viens au supermarché demain.
    Je vais au supermarché demain.

    In French, 'venir' is only used if you are moving toward the speaker or the person you are talking to. If you are just going somewhere else, use 'aller' (to go).

  • Misspelling the singular forms like regular -re verbs.

    Je vens.
    Je viens.

    Learners often confuse 'venir' with verbs like 'vendre' (to sell). 'Venir' always requires the 'i' in the singular stems.

  • Nasalizing the pronunciation of 'viennent'.

    Ils vient (pronounced like the singular).
    Ils viennent (pronounced 'vjɛn').

    The double 'n' in the third-person plural 'viennent' signals that the vowel is not nasal. It should sound like 'vyen', whereas 'vient' sounds like 'vyan'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

venirLevel 1Irregular Verb Venir (To Come)

Learn This First

To learn the irregular verb 'venir', you first need to be familiar with French subject pronouns (je, tu, il, etc.) and the basic structure of a sentence. It is also helpful to understand regular -ir verb endings to appreciate the stem changes and irregularities specific to 'venir'.

Words in This Pattern

venir