Venir Verb Conjugation Tables With Translations & Real Life Examples
If you’re searching for venir verb conjugation, you’re dealing with a verb that appears constantly in French and changes form more than learners expect. This guide covers every tense and mood, explains when each one is used, and shows practical examples with translations that reflect how English actually works.
Revenir Verb Conjugation Tables With Translations & Real Life Examples
Let’s start with the foundations so the conjugations don’t feel random.
What You Need To Know Before Conjugating Venir
Venir means to come. It is one of DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs.. It is an irregular French verb that uses être in compound tenses and whose past participle venu agrees in gender and number. Its stem changes across tenses, but those changes follow clear patterns once you understand how French structures time and intention.
Indicative Mood
The indicative mood is used to talk about facts, real situations, habits, and actions you present as certain or observable.
Present Tense (Présent)
The present tense describes what is happening now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true. In English, it often translates as “come” or “am/is/are coming,” depending on context and emphasis.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | viens | I come / I am coming |
| Tu | viens | you come / you are coming |
| Il / Elle / On | vient | he / she comes |
| Nous | venons | we come / we are coming |
| Vous | venez | you come / you are coming |
| Ils / Elles | viennent | they come / they are coming |
Examples:
- Je viens maintenant. → I’m coming now.
- Nous venons souvent ici. → We often come here.
- Ils viennent ce soir. → They’re coming tonight.
Now that the present tense is clear, let’s move into how French talks about ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)
The imperfect tense is used for ongoing actions in the past, repeated habits, and background descriptions. In English, it usually becomes “was coming” or “used to come,” depending on whether the action was continuous or habitual.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | venais | I was coming / I used to come |
| Tu | venais | you were coming |
| Il / Elle / On | venait | he / she was coming |
| Nous | venions | we were coming |
| Vous | veniez | you were coming |
| Ils / Elles | venaient | they were coming |
Examples:
- Je venais ici tous les jours. → I used to come here every day.
- Elle venait souvent nous voir. → She often came to see us.
- Ils venaient quand il pleuvait. → They would come when it rained.
That brings us to the most common way French expresses completed past actions.
Passé Composé
The passé composé expresses completed past actions with a clear result or endpoint. Venir uses être, which means the past participle must agree in gender and number. In English, this tense translates as “came” or “have come.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | suis venu(e) | I came / I have come |
| Tu | es venu(e) | you came |
| Il / Elle / On | est venu(e) | he / she came |
| Nous | sommes venu(e)s | we came |
| Vous | êtes venu(e)(s) | you came |
| Ils / Elles | sont venu(e)s | they came |
Examples:
- Elle est venue hier. → She came yesterday.
- Nous sommes venus ensemble. → We came together.
- Ils sont venus trop tard. → They came too late.
To express actions that will happen later, French switches to the future.
Simple Future (Futur Simple)
The simple future is used to describe actions that will happen. Venir uses the stem viendr-, which is important to remember because the same stem appears in the conditional mood.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | viendrai | I will come |
| Tu | viendras | you will come |
| Il / Elle / On | viendra | he / she will come |
| Nous | viendrons | we will come |
| Vous | viendrez | you will come |
| Ils / Elles | viendront | they will come |
Examples:
- Je viendrai demain. → I will come tomorrow.
- Nous viendrons plus tard. → We’ll come later.
- Elle viendra seule. → She will come alone.
When one past action happened before another past action, French uses a different tense.
Plus-Que-Parfait
The plus-que-parfait shows that an action had already happened before another past action. In English, it almost always translates as “had come.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | étais venu(e) | I had come |
| Tu | étais venu(e) | you had come |
| Il / Elle / On | était venu(e) | he / she had come |
| Nous | étions venu(e)s | we had come |
| Vous | étiez venu(e)(s) | you had come |
| Ils / Elles | étaient venu(e)s | they had come |
Examples:
- J’étais venu avant toi. → I had come before you.
- Elle était venue trop tôt. → She had come too early.
- Nous étions venus exprès. → We had come on purpose.
Some tenses are rarely used in speech but still matter for reading and comprehension.
Passé Simple (Rare – Literary)
The passé simple is not used in spoken French. You mainly see it in novels, historical writing, and formal narratives, where it replaces the passé composé.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | vins | I came |
| Tu | vins | you came |
| Il / Elle / On | vint | he / she came |
| Nous | vînmes | we came |
| Vous | vîntes | you came |
| Ils / Elles | vinrent | they came |
Examples:
- Il vint au village. → He came to the village.
- Elle vint trop tard. → She came too late.
- Ils vinrent ensemble. → They came together.
French also uses moods to express intention, emotion, and uncertainty.
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is used to express necessity, desire, doubt, emotion, or judgment. English usually avoids a direct equivalent and instead uses “for someone to…” or “that someone should…”.
Present Subjunctive
This form appears after expressions like il faut que, je veux que, bien que. Each translation below reflects the two most natural English options.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Que je | vienne | for me to come / that I should come |
| Que tu | viennes | for you to come / that you should come |
| Qu’il / elle / on | vienne | for him/her to come / that he/she should come |
| Que nous | venions | for us to come / that we should come |
| Que vous | veniez | for you to come / that you should come |
| Qu’ils / elles | viennent | for them to come / that they should come |
Examples:
- Il faut que je vienne. → I need to come.
- Je veux que tu viennes. → I want you to come.
- Bien qu’ils viennent tôt… → Although they come early…
Past Subjunctive
The past subjunctive is used when the subjunctive action happened before the main verb. In English, this usually becomes “to have come.”
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Que je | sois venu(e) | for me to have come |
| Que tu | sois venu(e) | for you to have come |
| Qu’il / elle / on | soit venu(e) | for him/her to have come |
| Que nous | soyons venu(e)s | for us to have come |
| Que vous | soyez venu(e)(s) | for you to have come |
| Qu’ils / elles | soient venu(e)s | for them to have come |
Examples:
- Je regrette que tu sois venu. → I regret that you came.
- Bien qu’elle soit venue… → Although she came…
- Je suis content qu’ils soient venus. → I’m glad they came.
Imperfect Subjunctive (Very Rare – Literary)
This tense is almost never used in modern speech. You’ll mainly encounter it in older or highly formal writing, and it is useful primarily for reading comprehension.
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Que je | vinsse | for me to come / that I should come |
| Que tu | vinsses | for you to come / that you should come |
| Qu’il / elle / on | vînt | for him/her to come / that he/she should come |
| Que nous | vinssions | for us to come / that we should come |
| Que vous | vinssiez | for you to come / that you should come |
| Qu’ils / elles | vinssent | for them to come / that they should come |
Examples:
- Bien qu’il vînt tard… → Although he came late…
- Qu’elle vinsse ou non… → Whether she came or not…
- Bien qu’ils vinssent ensemble… → Although they came together…
French also uses a mood for hypothetical or polite situations.
Conditional Mood
The conditional mood is used to talk about hypothetical situations, polite requests, and imagined outcomes. In English, it usually translates as “would come.”
Present Conditional
| Subject | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | viendrais | I would come |
| Tu | viendrais | you would come |
| Il / Elle / On | viendrait | he / she would come |
| Nous | viendrions | we would come |
| Vous | viendriez | you would come |
| Ils / Elles | viendraient | they would come |
Examples:
- Je viendrais si je pouvais. → I would come if I could.
- Elle viendrait avec toi. → She would come with you.
- Nous viendrions plus tôt. → We would come earlier.
Finally, French uses a specific form for giving instructions or encouragement.
Imperative Mood
The imperative is used to give orders, instructions, or encouragement. It focuses on action rather than time and appears without an explicit subject pronoun.
Present Imperative
| Form | Conjugation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| (Tu) | viens | come |
| (Nous) | venons | let’s come |
| (Vous) | venez | come (formal/plural) |
Examples:
- Viens ici. → Come here.
- Venez demain. → Come tomorrow.
- Venons ensemble. → Let’s come together.
FAQs
What Does The Verb Venir Mean In French?
The French verb venir means “to come.” It expresses movement toward someone or something, origin, arrival, and recent past actions when combined with de. Because it appears constantly in spoken and written French, it is one of the first irregular verbs learners must truly master.
Is Venir A Regular Or Irregular Verb?
Venir is an irregular verb. Its stem changes depending on the tense and subject, and it does not follow standard verb group rules. Once you understand how its stems shift, it becomes predictable instead of confusing.
Which Auxiliary Verb Does Venir Use?
Venir uses être as its auxiliary verb in all compound tenses. This means its past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, which is a frequent source of beginner mistakes.
How Do You Conjugate Venir In The Present Tense?
In the present tense, venir alternates between vien- and ven-. Singular forms and ils/elles use vien-, while nous and vous use ven-. This pattern is consistent across related verbs.
What Is The Difference Between Je Viens And Je Venais?
Je viens refers to the present or near present, meaning “I come” or “I am coming.” Je venais is imperfect tense and describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, such as “I was coming” or “I used to come.”
How Do You Use Venir In The Passé Composé?
Venir forms the passé composé with être, not avoir. For example, je suis venu means “I came” or “I have come.” Agreement with the subject is mandatory.
Why Does Venir Agree In Compound Tenses?
Because venir uses être, its past participle venu must agree with the subject. This adds -e for feminine subjects and -s for plural subjects, such as elle est venue or ils sont venus.
How Do You Conjugate Venir In The Future Tense?
In the future tense, venir uses the stem viendr- plus standard future endings. For example, je viendrai means “I will come.” This same stem appears in the conditional tense.
What Is The Conditional Form Of Venir Used For?
The conditional expresses hypothetical situations, politeness, or uncertainty. For example, je viendrais si je pouvais means “I would come if I could,” softening the statement.
When Do You Use The Subjunctive With Venir?
The subjunctive is used when venir follows expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, emotion, or judgment. Common triggers include il faut que, je veux que, and bien que.
How Do You Translate “Que Je Vienne” In English?
“Que je vienne” often translates to “for me to come” or “that I should come.” English does not mirror the French subjunctive directly, so translation depends on context.
Is The Imperfect Subjunctive Of Venir Still Used?
The imperfect subjunctive exists but is rare in modern speech. You’ll mostly see it in literature or formal writing, making it useful for reading rather than conversation.
What Does Venir De Mean In French?
Venir de expresses the recent past. For example, je viens de manger means “I just ate.” This structure is extremely common in spoken French.
Can Venir Mean “To Come From”?
Yes. Venir often expresses origin. Je viens de France means “I come from France.” Context determines whether de signals origin or recent past.
Is Venir Used In Everyday Spoken French?
Absolutely. Venir is used daily to talk about arrivals, origins, plans, invitations, and recent actions. Avoiding it makes speech sound unnatural and limited.
What Are Common Mistakes With Venir?
Learners often use avoir instead of être, forget agreement, mix stems, or translate too literally from English. These mistakes disappear once the verb’s logic is understood.
Are There Verbs That Conjugate Like Venir?
Yes. Verbs such as revenir, devenir, intervenir, parvenir, and survenir follow the same pattern. Mastering venir unlocks this entire verb family.
How Can I Memorize Venir Conjugations Faster?
Focus on stem patterns instead of memorizing isolated forms. Recognizing vien-, ven-, and viendr- helps you predict correct forms instantly.
Is Venir More Important Than Other Irregular Verbs?
Yes. Its frequency and its role in multiple structures make it more useful than many irregular verbs learners spend time on too early.
Should Beginners Learn All Venir Tenses At Once?
No. Start with present tense, passé composé, future tense, and venir de. Add imperfect and subjunctive later once basics feel natural.
How Is Venir Used In Questions?
Venir works normally in questions, either with intonation or inversion. For example, Tu viens ? or Viens-tu demain ?
Can Venir Be Used In Commands?
Yes, but only in the imperative. Forms include viens, venons, and venez. These are common in invitations and instructions.
What Is The Past Participle Of Venir?
The past participle of venir is venu. It changes for gender and number when used with être.
Does Venir Ever Use Avoir?
No. Venir always uses être in compound tenses. Using avoir is always incorrect.
Is Venir Used With Prepositions?
Yes. Venir frequently pairs with de, à, and chez, depending on meaning and context.
How Is Venir Used With Time Expressions?
Venir often appears with future plans and recent past actions, making it common in scheduling and narration.
Can Venir Be Used Figuratively?
Yes. Venir can express abstract ideas like results, consequences, or origins of events, not just physical movement.
Is Venir Common In Written French?
Yes. It appears in news articles, literature, emails, and essays. It is not limited to casual speech.
How Do You Pronounce Venir Correctly?
The pronunciation changes slightly depending on tense, especially in viens versus venons. Listening practice is essential.
Is Venir Harder Than Aller?
Venir is more complex because of stem changes and agreement rules, but its patterns are logical once learned.
How Long Does It Take To Master Venir?
With focused practice, learners can use venir correctly in basic tenses within a few weeks.
Should I Learn Venir Before Subjunctive In General?
Yes. Venir is often one of the first verbs used in the subjunctive, so mastering it early helps later grammar.
Is Venir Used In Idiomatic Expressions?
Yes. French uses venir in many fixed expressions that do not translate word-for-word into English.
Can Venir Be Used In Formal French?
Yes. Venir works in both informal and formal registers without change in meaning.
Does Venir Change Meaning In Different Tenses?
The core meaning stays the same, but tense changes affect timing, certainty, and nuance.
Is Venir A Motion Verb?
Yes. Venir is classified as a motion verb, which explains why it uses être.
Why Is Venir Often Confused With Aller?
English speakers confuse them because both involve movement, but venir focuses on movement toward the speaker.
Can Venir Replace Aller?
No. Venir and aller are not interchangeable. Using the wrong one changes the direction of movement.
Is Venir Used With People Or Places?
Both. Venir can refer to coming toward a person or arriving at a place.
How Is Venir Used In Invitations?
Venir is commonly used to invite someone, such as Tu viens ce soir ? meaning “Are you coming tonight?”
Does Venir Sound Natural In Short Sentences?
Yes. Short expressions like je viens or je reviens are extremely common in daily speech.
Is Venir Required For Fluency?
Yes. Avoiding venir limits your ability to express movement, time, and origin naturally.
Can Venir Be Used In Negative Sentences?
Yes. Negation works normally, such as je ne viens pas meaning “I am not coming.”
Does Venir Change In The Near Future?
Yes. Venir itself can appear in near future structures, like je vais venir meaning “I am going to come.”
Is Venir Used In Storytelling?
Yes. It frequently appears in narration to describe arrivals and transitions between events.
Can Children Use Venir Easily?
Yes. Native-speaking children learn venir early, which shows how essential it is.
Is Venir Tested In French Exams?
Yes. Venir often appears in exams because it tests tense use, agreement, and irregular patterns.
What Is The Best Way To Practice Venir?
Practice venir in full sentences across tenses, not isolated conjugation tables.
Why Should I Master Venir Early?
Because venir unlocks tense logic, agreement rules, and an entire family of verbs that French relies on daily.
Final Takeaway
The venir verb conjugation becomes clear once each tense is connected to its real meaning and real usage. When you understand how French expresses time, intention, and nuance, venir stops being confusing and starts working naturally in your sentences.