Introduction
The verb venir is an essential verb in French, meaning "to come." It is used both to indicate movement toward a place and in a special construction to express the recent past.
Conjugation of Venir
Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | viens |
| Tu | viens |
| Il/Elle/On | vient |
| Nous | venons |
| Vous | venez |
| Ils/Elles | viennent |
Compound Past (Passé Composé)
The passé composé of venir is formed with the auxiliary verb être and the past participle venu.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | suis venu(e) |
| Tu | es venu(e) |
| Il/Elle/On | est venu(e) |
| Nous | sommes venu(e)s |
| Vous | êtes venu(e)(s) |
| Ils/Elles | sont venu(e)s |
Imperfect Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | venais |
| Tu | venais |
| Il/Elle/On | venait |
| Nous | venions |
| Vous | veniez |
| Ils/Elles | venaient |
Future Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | viendrai |
| Tu | viendras |
| Il/Elle/On | viendra |
| Nous | viendrons |
| Vous | viendrez |
| Ils/Elles | viendront |
Subjunctive Present
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | vienne |
| Tu | viennes |
| Il/Elle/On | vienne |
| Nous | venions |
| Vous | veniez |
| Ils/Elles | viennent |
Past Participle
- venu (e.g., Je suis venu à la maison.)
Usage of Venir
1. Movement Toward a Place
Venir is used to express coming to a location.
- Je viens à l'école. (I come to school.)
- Nous venons de Paris. (We are coming from Paris.)
2. Recent Past Construction
Venir is also used in the construction "venir de + infinitive" to indicate that an action has just happened.
- Je viens de manger. (I just ate.)
- Elle vient de terminer ses devoirs. (She just finished her homework.)
- Nous venons de regarder un film. (We just watched a movie.)
Examples
- Il vient chez moi ce soir. (He is coming to my house tonight.)
- Vous venez de partir. (You just left.)
- Ils sont venus hier. (They came yesterday.)
- Je viens de finir mon livre. (I just finished my book.)
Key Points
- Venir indicates movement toward a place.
- The phrase venir de + infinitive is used to express an action that has just occurred, similar to saying “have just done” in English.
- In the passé composé, venir uses être as the auxiliary verb, so the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
