Inklingo

venía

ve-NEE-ah/beˈni.a/

venía means was coming in Spanish (Describing an action in progress in the past).

was coming, used to come

Also: would come
VerbA2irregular ir
A simple storybook illustration of a friendly yellow bird flying steadily across a blue sky, moving from the background toward the viewer, illustrating continuous past movement.
infinitivevenir
gerundviniendo
past Participlevenido

📝 In Action

Yo venía en el autobús cuando me llamaste.

A2

I was coming on the bus when you called me.

Ella venía a la fiesta todos los sábados.

A2

She used to come to the party every Saturday.

Antes, usted venía a visitarnos más a menudo.

B1

Before, you (formal) used to come visit us more often.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • llegaba (was arriving)
  • acudía (used to go/attend)

Antonyms

  • iba (was going)
  • se marchaba (was leaving)

Common Collocations

  • venía de lejoswas coming from far away
  • venía con prisawas coming in a hurry

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedviene
yovengo
vienes
ellos/ellas/ustedesvienen
nosotrosvenimos
vosotrosvenís

imperfect

él/ella/ustedvenía
yovenía
venías
ellos/ellas/ustedesvenían
nosotrosveníamos
vosotrosveníais

preterite

él/ella/ustedvino
yovine
viniste
ellos/ellas/ustedesvinieron
nosotrosvinimos
vosotrosvinisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedvenga
yovenga
vengas
ellos/ellas/ustedesvengan
nosotrosvengamos
vosotrosvengáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedviniera
yoviniera
vinieras
ellos/ellas/ustedesvinieran
nosotrosviniéramos
vosotrosvinierais

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "venía" in Spanish:

was coming

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: venía

Question 1 of 1

Which of these sentences uses 'venía' correctly to describe a past habit?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
teníavivía
📚 Etymology

Comes directly from the Latin verb *venīre*, meaning 'to come.' This root is extremely old and common across many Romance languages.

First recorded: Before the 10th century (in Old Spanish as 'venir').

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: venivaFrench: venait

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is 'venía'? Is it 'I' or 'he/she'?

'Venía' is used for three subjects: 'yo' (I), 'él/ella' (he/she), and 'usted' (you, formal singular). You must check the context or the subject pronoun to know who is doing the action.

How do I say 'I was coming' using the Preterite tense instead?

The Preterite tense is 'vine' (I came). You cannot use 'vine' to mean 'I was coming' because 'vine' means the action was finished at a specific point in time.