ven
“ven” means “Come” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
Come
📝 In Action
¡Amor, ven aquí un momento!
A1Honey, come here for a moment!
Si tienes frío, ven y siéntate junto al fuego.
A2If you're cold, come and sit by the fire.
¡Ven a ver esto, no te lo vas a creer!
B1Come see this, you're not going to believe it!
they see
Also: you see
📝 In Action
Mis padres ven una película cada noche.
A1My parents see a movie every night.
Los turistas ven muchas cosas interesantes en la ciudad.
A2The tourists see many interesting things in the city.
Señores, ¿ustedes ven el problema con este plan?
B1Gentlemen, do you (all) see the problem with this plan?
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: ven
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'ven' to mean 'Come!'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
This one-syllable word is fascinating because it has two completely separate origins. One 'ven' (Come!) comes from the Latin verb 'venīre', meaning 'to come'. The other 'ven' (they see) comes from a different Latin verb, 'vidēre', meaning 'to see'. Over hundreds of years, different forms of these two verbs coincidentally evolved to look and sound exactly the same in modern Spanish.
First recorded: Both forms trace back to Vulgar Latin, appearing in early Spanish texts around the 10th-12th centuries.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if 'ven' means 'come' or 'they see'?
It's all about context! If it's a command given to one person, often with an exclamation mark, like '¡Ven aquí!', it means 'Come!'. If it follows a word for a group of people, like 'Mis amigos ven...', it means 'they see'.
What's the difference between 'ven' and 'venga'?
They both come from the verb 'venir' (to come), but are used for different people. 'Ven' is the informal command for 'tú' (one friend, family member). 'Venga' is the formal command for 'usted' (one person you want to show respect to).
Is there a command form of 'ver' (to see) that looks like 'ven'?
No, which helps avoid confusion! The informal command for 'ver' is 've' (See!). For example, '¡Ve qué bonito!' (See how pretty!).