venía
ve-NEE-ah
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Yo venía en el autobús cuando me llamaste.
A2I was coming on the bus when you called me.
Ella venía a la fiesta todos los sábados.
A2She used to come to the party every Saturday.
Antes, usted venía a visitarnos más a menudo.
B1Before, you (formal) used to come visit us more often.
💡 Grammar Points
The Imperfect Tense
This 'venía' form is the Imperfect tense. Use it to talk about repeated actions in the past (habits) or actions that were ongoing and interrupted, or to set the scene for a story.
Imperfect vs. Preterite
Use 'venía' (Imperfect) for actions that were continuous or habitual ('She used to come'). Use 'vino' (Preterite) for a single, completed action ('She came yesterday').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Imperfect and Preterite
Mistake: "Cuando vino, la vi. (When she came, I saw her.)"
Correction: When setting the scene, use imperfect: Cuando venía, la vi. (When she was coming, I saw her.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Key Time Markers
If you see time words like 'siempre' (always), 'a menudo' (often), or 'cada semana' (every week) referring to the past, you almost always need the Imperfect tense like 'venía'.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: venía
Question 1 of 1
Which of these sentences uses 'venía' correctly to describe a past habit?
📚 More Resources
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.