venir + Gerund

Process from an Earlier Time

Level 5

Use venir + gerund to view a process from an earlier starting point toward the time under discussion: viene mejorando, venía mejorando.

How It Works

The verbal periphrasis venir + gerund is a nuanced way to express a progressive action. Unlike the more common estar + gerund, which presents an event as in progress, venir + gerund places its development in an interval extending from an earlier point toward the time under discussion.

Structure:
Subject + venir (conjugated) + gerund

Key Meanings:

  • Possible Gradual Development: Context may present development over time; graduality is not obligatory.
  • Possible Repetition: Context may present repeated actions over a period. The construction does not itself guarantee cumulative effects.
  • Reference Point: The process extends from an earlier time toward now or another time supplied by the tense and context.

This structure is most commonly used with venir in the present or imperfect tense.

  • Present (vengo, vienes, etc.): The action has been developing up to the present moment. "Vengo pensando en eso." (I have been thinking about that.)
  • Imperfect (venía, venías, etc.): The action had been developing up to a specific point in the past. "Él venía sintiéndose mal desde la mañana." (He had been feeling sick since the morning.)

Comparison with Similar Structures:

  • Estar + gerund: Presents the action as in progress at a contextual time; this can be past or present. "Estoy pensando." (I am thinking right now).
  • Ir + gerund: Presents gradual development or successive stages; the tense can place them in the past, present or future. "Poco a poco voy entendiendo." (Little by little, I am beginning to understand).
  • Andar + gerund: Often implies a repeated, sometimes aimless or insistent action. "Anda diciendo mentiras." (He's going around telling lies).

Venir + gerund looks back from a reference point that need not be now. A preterite form can close the interval: Nos vino ocultando sus intenciones presents concealment over a completed past period.

Different Constructions Can Be Grammatical
Estoy diciendo que no me gusta desde el principio can describe an ongoing statement with a duration phrase. Vengo diciendo adds a retrospective presentation; it is not a mandatory repair of estar. Vengo comiendo una manzana can literally describe coming while eating. A single apple therefore does not make the sentence ungrammatical; distinguish a motion verb with a gerund from the temporal construction taught here.

Examples (5)

  1. Vengo pensando en tu propuesta desde la semana pasada.

    I've been thinking about your proposal since last week.

    Word by Word: I come thinking about your proposal since the week past.

    The thinking is presented over an interval beginning last week and extending to now. It need not have been uninterrupted.

  2. La empresa viene implementando cambios para mejorar la eficiencia.

    The company has been implementing changes to improve efficiency.

    Word by Word: The company comes implementing changes to improve the efficiency.

    Implementation is presented over a period leading to now. Context may suggest gradual rollout, but the construction itself does not require every change to be gradual.

  3. Te vengo diciendo que ese no es el camino correcto.

    I've been telling you that's not the right way.

    Word by Word: To you / I have been saying / that / that is not the right path.

    In this context the speaker presents repeated statements over time. Repetition does not itself mean that the statements have produced an accumulated effect.

  4. El clima venía empeorando a lo largo del día.

    The weather had been gradually getting worse throughout the day.

    Word by Word: The weather / had been getting worse / throughout the day.

    Using the imperfect tense venía describes a gradual process that was occurring in the past.

  5. Desde hace años, los científicos vienen advirtiendo sobre el cambio climático.

    For years, scientists have been warning about climate change.

    Word by Word: For years / the scientists / have been warning / about climate change.

    The warnings are presented over a period of years leading to now. They may be repeated at intervals rather than one uninterrupted act.

How It Connects

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

venir + GerundLevel 5Process from an Earlier Time

Learn This First

To understand 'venir + gerund', you first need to know how to conjugate the verb 'venir' and how to form the Spanish gerund (-ando/-iendo). It is also helpful to understand the basic present progressive (estar + gerund) to appreciate how 'venir' adds the specific nuance of a gradual action that has been developing over time up to the present.

Words in This Pattern

venir