How to Say "was coming" in Spanish

The Spanish word for “was coming” is “venía” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2

venía

VerbA2

Describing an action in progress in the past

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.

Examples

Yo venía en el autobús cuando me llamaste.

I was coming on the bus when you called me.

Ella venía a la fiesta todos los sábados.

She used to come to the party every Saturday.

Antes, usted venía a visitarnos más a menudo.

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

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').

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.)

See full entry for “venía” →

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