Venir & le passé récent (I just did...)
Learn the irregular verb venir and use it to talk about things you just did with venir de + infinitive.
VENIR (to come): irregular verb with important pattern
PASSÉ RÉCENT: VENIR DE + INFINITIVE = to have just done something. This is the primary use at A1
NASAL VOWEL CHANGE: je/tu/il viens/vient has the nasal. ils viennent (they come): the vowel DE-nasalizes before the added syllable. This same pattern occurs in all similar verbs
Common mistake: using singular form for plural: 'ils vient' is wrong. Correct plural form: ils viennent (they come) (vowel de-nasalizes before the added syllable)
- je viens / tu viens / il vient — I come / you come / he comes
- nous venons / vous venez — we come / you come
- ils viennent — they come (note the double-n sound)
- D'où viens-tu ?: Je viens d'Iran. — Where do you come from?: I come from Iran.
LE PASSÉ RÉCENT: expressing something that JUST happened
FORMULA: conjugated VENIR + DE/D' + INFINITIVE
EXAMPLES: Je viens de manger (I just ate). Tu viens d'arriver (You just arrived) Il vient de partir (He just left). Nous venons de finir (We just finished). Ils viennent de téléphoner (They just phoned).
THE KEY: the VENIR part is conjugated (agrees with subject), the infinitive stays unchanged
BEFORE A VOWEL: de becomes d': Je viens d'arriver. (I just arrived.) · Tu viens d'appeler. (You just called.) · Elle vient d'entrer. (She just came in.)
Common mistake: 'Je suis venu de manger': WRONG structure. Passé récent = venir + de + infinitive, not être + participe
- Je VIENS D'arriver à la maison. Je suis fatigué. — I just got home. I'm tired.
- Elle VIENT DE finir son travail. Elle est soulagée. — She just finished her work. She is relieved.
- Nous VENONS D'acheter une nouvelle voiture ! — We just bought a new car!
- Ils VIENNENT DE partir. Tu arrives trop tard. — They just left. You're arriving too late.