Venir vs Ir: Coming vs Going

Spanish: Venir vs Ir: ¿Vienes o vas?

Level: B1 Intermediate

Category: verbs

Explanation

In Spanish, the verbs "ir" (to go) and "venir" (to come) both express movement, but the difference depends on the speaker's point of view. We use "ir" for movement away from where the speaker is: going to another place. We use "venir" for movement toward where the speaker is: someone coming toward me. Unlike English, where you might say "I'm coming" to mean you're moving toward another person, Spanish does not work the same way. If you are here and someone calls you from another place, in Spanish you say "voy" (not "vengo"), because you are moving toward where that person is, away from your current position. Both verbs are irregular. "Ir" has highly irregular present forms (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van) and shares its preterite with "ser" (fui, fuiste, fue...). "Venir" changes its stem to "veng-" in the first person (vengo) and is irregular in the preterite (vine, viniste, vino...). The construction "venir a + infinitive" indicates the purpose of a movement of approach: "Vengo a recoger las llaves" (I'm coming to you to pick up the keys). With "ir a + infinitive" we express movement with a purpose that takes us away, or the near future: "Voy a comprar pan" (I'm going to buy bread).

Examples

• Voy al café a tomar un cortado. - I'm going to the café to have a cortado.
• El camarero dice: ¿Vienen a la barra o se sientan en una mesa? - The waiter says: Are you coming to the bar or sitting at a table?
• Ahora voy a tu hotel para recogerte. - I'm going to your hotel now to pick you up.
• Buenos días, vengo a hacer el check-in. - Good morning, I've come to check in.
• Cada sábado vamos al mercado a comprar fruta. - Every Saturday we go to the market to buy fruit.