Question 1

Why is the verb "viens" and not a regular "-ir" ending?

Accepted Answer

Venir (to come) is an irregular verb, meaning it doesn't follow the standard rules. For je (I) and tu (you, informal), the present tense form is viens.

Question 2

Does "Je viens" mean "I come" or "I am coming"?

Accepted Answer

It means both! French doesn't have a separate "am doing" tense (present continuous) like English does. Je viens translates to either "I come" or "I am coming" depending on the context.

Question 3

I thought "de" meant "of". Why does it mean "from" here?

Accepted Answer

The preposition de is very flexible. While it often means "of" to show possession, when used with verbs of motion like venir (to come), it translates to "from" to show the origin of the movement.

Question 4

Why is it "l'aéroport" instead of "le aéroport"?

Accepted Answer

Aéroport is a masculine noun starting with a vowel. In French, when the words le or la come before a word starting with a vowel, they drop their vowel and combine with the next word using an apostrophe. This makes the phrase smoother to say.

Question 5

I've heard "venir de" means "just did something". Is that what's happening here?

Accepted Answer

Not in this sentence. The phrase venir de only means "to have just done something" when it is followed by an action verb (like Je viens de manger for "I just ate"). Here, it is followed by a place (l'aéroport), so it simply describes physical movement: "I am coming from".

Je viens de l'aéroport.

Breakdown of Je viens de l'aéroport.

Questions & Answers about Je viens de l'aéroport.

Learn Je viens de l'aéroport and more in French