Verbs of Motion

Spanish verbs of motion look simple on the surface — ir means "to go," venir means "to come" — but they hide a web of distinctions that English doesn't draw. Is the destination toward the speaker or away? Is the subject leaving for good? Is the object being abandoned or carried? Getting these right is one of the first things that makes your Spanish sound natural instead of word-for-word.

ir vs venir: speaker perspective

The clearest difference is between ir (to go) and venir (to come). Where English speakers get confused is this: venir in Spanish means to come to where the speaker currently is. You don't say vengo about a place you're heading to that isn't where you already are — that's voy.

English happily says "I'm coming over to your place" — but in Spanish, if you're at your own house and talking about going to someone else's, you must use ir. Venir is reserved for movement toward the speaker's current location.

ir vs irse: go vs leave

Ir and irse both involve going, but they focus on different pieces. Ir focuses on the destination — where you're headed. Irse focuses on the departure — leaving the current place.

You can say voy without irse if the point is "I'm headed somewhere." You use irse when the focus is on leaving, with or without a stated destination.

Irse is pronominal, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun: me voy, te vas, se va, etc. See Reflexive Conjugation for how this works.

salir (leave a place) vs dejar (leave a thing)

Both salir and dejar translate as "leave" in English, but they refer to different things.

Salir means to physically exit a place. It's always intransitive.

Dejar means to leave something behind — an object, a person, a job. It's transitive: it takes a direct object.

A common mistake is saying dejé la casa to mean "I left the house." That doesn't mean you exited — it means you abandoned the house, as in left it behind forever.

entrar + a or en

Entrar means "to enter." In Latin American Spanish it most commonly takes a before the place; in Spain, en is more common. Both are considered correct, but in Latin American usage, a is preferred.

subir: go up, climb, get on

Subir covers a surprising range: climbing stairs, going upstairs, getting on a vehicle, and even raising something.

Subir can be transitive (sube la caja = carry the box up) or intransitive (subí al cuarto = I went up to the room).

bajar: go down, get off

Parallel to subir, bajar means to go down, descend, or get off a vehicle.

llegar vs venir: arrive vs come

These are close in meaning but not interchangeable. Llegar means to arrive at a destination — it's about reaching a point. Venir means to come toward the speaker.

You don't say vine a la reunión unless the meeting is happening right where the speaker is now. Otherwise: llegué a la reunión.

volver vs regresar: return

Both mean "to return," and in most contexts they're interchangeable in Latin American Spanish. Regresar is slightly more common in Mexico and Central America; volver is common everywhere.

Volver a + infinitivo has a special meaning: "to do something again."

This isn't about physical return — it's about repeating an action. See Periphrastic Constructions for more on volver a and similar patterns.

pasar: pass through, come by

Pasar is versatile. As a motion verb, it means "to pass by," "to come by," or "to go through."

It can also mean "to come in" when you invite someone: ¡pasa, pasa! = "Come in, come in!"

caminar, andar, correr

For on-foot motion, Spanish has several verbs:

• caminar — to walk (most neutral)
• andar — to walk, to go around (more general, sometimes "to be doing")
• correr — to run

Andar is interesting because it's often used as a progressive auxiliary: ando estudiando = "I've been studying," similar to estoy estudiando but with a sense of ongoing activity over time.

andar en bici, ir en carro

For transportation, Spanish uses andar en + vehicle or ir en + vehicle.

Don't say ir por carro or ir con carro. The preposition is en.

Common errors

Saying vengo when you mean voy:

Unless you're currently at that house (which is rare), you need voy, not vengo.

Confusing salir and dejar:

If you mean "I exited the office," use salir. Dejé la oficina suggests you quit your job.

Forgetting the reflexive on irse:

Voy alone sounds incomplete when you mean "I'm leaving." You need me voy.

Motion verbs carry a lot of weight in Spanish because they're so common. Getting the small distinctions right — ir vs venir, salir vs dejar, volver vs regresar — makes a big difference in how fluent your Spanish sounds.