How to Say "they come" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “they come” is “vienen” — use 'vienen' for general movement towards the speaker or a specific location, similar to 'they are coming'..
vienen
/byEH-nen//ˈbjenen/
Examples
¿Tus amigos vienen a la fiesta esta noche?
Are your friends coming to the party tonight?
Los autobuses vienen cada diez minutos, así que no te preocupes.
The buses come every ten minutes, so don't worry.
Ustedes vienen con nosotros, ¿verdad?
You all are coming with us, right?
Come Here vs. Go There
Use 'venir' (and forms like 'vienen') for movement towards you or your current location. Use 'ir' (like 'van') for movement away from you or to somewhere else. Think: 'They come here' (vienen) vs. 'They go there' (van).
Two Meanings in One
In Spanish, 'vienen' can mean both 'they come' (a regular action) and 'they are coming' (happening right now). You don't always need a special '-ing' form like in English.
Mixing up 'vienen' and 'van'
Mistake: “If your friends are going to the cinema and you are at home, you might say: *'Mis amigos vienen al cine.'*”
Correction: Say: 'Mis amigos van al cine.' The movement is away from you, so you need 'van' (from the verb 'ir', to go), not 'vienen'.
llegan
YAY-gahn/ˈʎe.ɣan/
Examples
Los trenes siempre llegan a tiempo.
The trains always arrive on time.
¿A qué hora llegan ustedes del viaje?
What time are you all arriving from the trip?
Dicen que llegan las cartas mañana.
They say the letters will arrive tomorrow.
The 'G' Sound Rule
Even though 'llegar' is a regular verb, it needs a spelling change in certain forms (like 'yo' in the past tense: 'llegué') to keep the hard 'g' sound consistent. If it were spelled 'llege,' it would sound like 'leh-heh'!
Present Tense Meaning
This form, 'llegan,' can mean 'they arrive' (right now) or 'they are arriving' (current action), or even 'they do arrive' (habitual action).
Confusing 'llegar' and 'venir'
Mistake: “Using 'llegan' when you mean 'they come towards me' (use 'vienen').”
Correction: 'Llegar' means reaching a point, not necessarily movement toward the speaker. If the movement is toward you, use 'venir' ('vienen').
vengan
/VEN-gahn//ˈbeŋɡan/
Examples
Por favor, señores, ¡vengan aquí de inmediato!
Please, gentlemen, come here immediately!
Esperamos que todos sus amigos vengan a la fiesta.
We hope that all their friends come to the party.
Cuando vengan los resultados, te llamo.
When the results come in, I will call you.
Dual Role of 'Vengan'
'Vengan' serves two main functions: 1) A command for 'ustedes' (you all), and 2) The special verb form (subjunctive) for 'ellos/ellas/ustedes' after expressions like 'espero que' (I hope that) or 'quiero que' (I want that).
Irregularity Alert
The verb 'venir' is highly irregular. Notice the 'e' changes to 'ie' in the indicative present ('vienes') but changes to 'e' then 'g' in the subjunctive forms, giving us 'venga' and 'vengan'.
Confusing Command Forms
Mistake: “Using 'vienen' when giving a command to a group (e.g., '¡Vienen acá!').”
Correction: For commands to a group of people ('ustedes'), you must use 'vengan'. The form 'vienen' is only for stating facts (The students come: 'Los estudiantes vienen').
Indicative vs. Subjunctive for 'Come'
Related Translations
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