The Verb Venir
The verb venir means "to come." It is highly irregular in the present tense. Notice that the singular forms (viens, vient) all sound identical, despite the spelling differences.
| Pronoun | Venir (to come) |
|---|---|
| je | viens |
| tu | viens |
| il / elle / on | vient |
| nous | venons |
| vous | venez |
| ils / elles | viennent |
| I am coming from the airport. | Je viens de l'aéroport. |
| Is the passenger coming from London? | Est-ce que le passager vient de Londres ? |
| Are you coming to the station with us? | Vous venez à la gare avec nous ? |
Traveling "By" (en)
Use the preposition en for vehicles you ride inside (like a bus or subway). Unlike in English, you do not use an article after en.
| Are you coming by bus or by subway? | Tu viens en bus ou en métro ? |
For taxis, it is common to use the verb prendre (to take).
| I am taking a taxi to come to the station. | Je prends un taxi pour venir à la gare. |
Arriving and Delays
To talk about reaching your destination, use the regular -er verb arriver (to arrive). Note the prepositions: you arrive at a bus stop (à l'arrêt) but on a train platform (sur le quai).
| The bus is arriving at the stop. | Le bus arrive à l'arrêt. |
| The passengers arrive on the platform. | Les passagers arrivent sur le quai. |
When a flight (un vol) or train is late, French uses the verb avoir to say it "has a delay." To say something is very late, use beaucoup de retard (a lot of delay).
| The flight has a lot of delay tonight. | Le vol a beaucoup de retard ce soir. |
| We are coming by taxi because the train has a lot of delay. | Nous venons en taxi parce que le train a beaucoup de retard. |
Putting It All Together
You can combine venir, arriver, and travel prepositions to describe an entire trip!
| I come from Paris and I am going to Rome. | Je viens de Paris et je vais à Rome. |
| The train is arriving and we are coming onto the platform. | Le train arrive et nous venons sur le quai. |
