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June 16, 2021 by Faustina Mulnik Spanish Grammar 0 comments

Venir vs Llegar: How to Use these Two Spanish Verbs

Venir and llegar both have lots of similar uses, so sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between the two. 

These words usually mean “to come” or “to arrive” and are sometimes interchangeable. So, how do you know when to use one or the other?

Our detailed venir vs llegar guide tells you not only how to conjugate these verbs, but also how to use them. Take a look at our list of example sentences and explanations before trying the fun interactive quiz at the end.

Get ready to never mix up venir and llegar again!

How to Conjugate Venir

Venir is somewhat of an irregular verb, so its conjugations don’t always follow the typical rules. Luckily, you can just take a look at these helpful venir conjugation tables!

PronounPresent Tense Conjugation
yovengo
túvienes
él, ella, Ud.viene
nosotrosvenimos
ellos, ellas, Uds.vienen
PronounPreterite Tense Conjugation
yovine
túviniste
él, ella, Ud.vino
nosotrosvinimos
ellos, ellas, Uds.vinieron

How to Use Venir

venir and llegar

Venir is one of those Spanish words that have multiple uses. Venir roughly translates as “to come” in English but there are multiple ways to use it. That’s why we put together this detailed guide that lists each of its uses. 

One distinct aspect about venir is that the destination must be where the speaker is located. In other words, the person doing the action is always heading towards the speaker. Take a look at this example:

Mario viene a mi casa. 
Mario is coming to my house. 

Notice how Mario is heading to where the speaker is already located (my house). Read on for more examples of this verb so you can easily tell apart venir and llegar. 

To Move From One Place to Another

Example Sentences

El tren viene de Guatemala.
The train comes from Guatemala.

Ella vino en el vuelo de las 7pm.
She arrived on the 7 pm flight.

To Return

Example Sentences

Vine a la casa para cenar.
I came back home for dinner.

El gato vendrá cuando tenga hambre.
The cat will be back when he’s hungry.

Venir de — To Come From

Example Sentences

Gabriel viene de Colombia.
Gabriel is from Colombia.

To be Available

Example Sentences

Los subtítulos de la película vienen en español.
The subtitles for the movie are in Spanish.

Esta comida viene ya hecha.
This food comes pre-made.

To Occur

Example Sentences

¡Ya mismo viene la Pascua!
Easter is coming soon!

Tu cumpleaños viene ya mismo.
Your birthday is coming up soon.

To be Overcome by

Example Sentences

Me viene sueño en el trabajo después de almorzar.
I get drowsy at work after having lunch.

A nosotros nos vino una gripe terrible.
We got a terrible flu.

(Por) venir — To Indicate the Future

Example Sentences

Lo mejor está por venir.
The best is yet to come.

Ahora viene la escena que me gusta.
The scene I like is coming up.

Que venir — To be Next

Example Sentences

El año que viene visitaremos España.
Next year we’re traveling to Spain.

Lo estudiaremos el curso que viene. 
We’ll be studying it next year.

Venir bien/mal — To be Convenient

Example Sentences

Este fin de semana me viene un poco mal.
This weekend isn’t too good for me.

¿Te viene bien reunirnos mañana a las 3 pm?
Does meeting at 3 pm tomorrow work for you?

A las 8 me viene mal, ¿podemos salir a las 9? 
8:00 is inconvenient for me, can we leave at 9?

Venga — To Express Encouragement

Example Sentences

¡Venga portero!
Come on, goalie!

¡Venga! Vamos a la fiesta. No seas un aguafiesta.
Come on! Let’s go to the party. Don’t be a party pooper.

Venirle — To Indicate Suitability

Example Sentences

La falda me viene ancha.
The skirt is too loose for me.

El abrigo te viene algo pequeño. 
The coat is rather small on or for you.

¿Me viene bien este gorro?
Does this hat look good on me?

Venir al pelo — To be Perfect

Example Sentence

El vestido me viene al pelo, voy a comprarlo sin dudas. 
The dress is perfect for me, I’m going to buy it without a doubt.

How to Conjugate Llegar

Luckily, llegar usually follows the normal conjugation rules except for a few irregularities. However, you can still use these llegar conjugation tables for reference. 

PronounPresent Tense Conjugation
yollego
túllegas
él, ella, Ud.llega
nosotrosllegamos
ellos, ellas, Uds.llegan
PronounPreterite Tense Conjugation
yollegué
túllegaste
él, ella, Ud.llegó
nosotrosllegamos
ellos, ellas, Uds.llegaron

How to Use Llegar

Llegar means “to arrive” in English, but again there are lots of different uses for this verb. To solidify your understanding of venir vs llegar, take a look at this list of ways to use llegar in Spanish. 

Llegar (a) — To Reach a Place

Example Sentences

¿Sabes si ya llegó Maria?
Do you know if Maria has arrived yet?

Voy a llegar al restaurante un poco atrasado.
I am going to get to the restaurant a little late.

To be the Time for

Example Sentences

El fin de semana llegó rápido.
The weekend came quickly.

Este año el verano ha sido lento en llegar.
Summer has been slow to arrive this year.

To be Sufficient

Example Sentence

No me llega el sueldo, así que voy a pedir un aumento.
My salary is not enough, so I’m going to ask for a raise.

Llegar (a) — To Extend

Example Sentence

¿Llegas al teléfono desde la cama?
Can you reach the telephone from the bed?

Llegar a — To be Able to

Example Sentence

¿Llegaste a ver el eclipse?
Did you manage to see the eclipse?

To Hold Up

Example Sentence

Ojalá estas llantas me lleguen otras cien mil millas.
Hopefully, these tires will last me another hundred thousand miles.

Llegar (a) — To Get to

Example Sentences

Espero llegar a ser rico.
I hope I get to be rich.

Mi sueño es llegar a los cien años.
My dream is to make it to a hundred.

Llegar vs Venir Quiz

Quiz CTA

See if you can tell when to use llegar vs volver in this fun interactive quiz! 

1. Maria __ de México. (Maria is from Mexico.)

Correct! Wrong!

2. ___ para cenar. (She will come for dinner.)

Correct! Wrong!

3. Por fin, Carlos ha ___. (Finally, Carlos has arrived.)

Correct! Wrong!

4. ¿Te ___ bien quedar mañana a mediodía? (Does meeting at noon tomorrow work for you?)

Correct! Wrong!

5. El terreno de mi padre ___ hasta el bosque. (My father's land stretches to the forest.)

Correct! Wrong!

6. Mi sueldo no ___ para pagar la universidad a nuestros hijos. (My salary isn't enough to pay for our children's university.)

Correct! Wrong!

7. Su madre ___ a presidente de la compañía. (His mother became president of the company.)

Correct! Wrong!

8. Ese color le ___ al salón. (That color suits the room.)

Correct! Wrong!

9. Los abuelos ___ a visitarnos esta tarde. (The grandparents are coming to visit us this afternoon.)

Correct! Wrong!

10. El tren ___ a Madrid con retraso. (The train arrived in Madrid late.)

Correct! Wrong!

Llegar vs Volver Quiz
Wow, you've mastered the difference between llegar and volver! Good job!

You're a pro

You've got a solid understanding of how to use the verbs llegar and volver and the quality of your Spanish conversations are exploding through the roof!
You've almost mastered the difference between llegar and volver. Your consistent practice is leading to better results!

you're getting better

As you keep up your hard work and practice, you're starting to understand better how to use the verbs llegar and volver. For more study materials, keep up-to-date with our newest published blog posts at Homeschool Spanish Academy. *YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! You can do it!* Do you prefer learning with videos? Check out our YouTube channel Spanish Academy TV for the best Spanish learning content on the web!
Practice makes perfect! Keep on studying!

Keep on studying

Your motivation to learn Spanish is an essential ingredient to success! If you're ready to take your Spanish to the next level and master the usage of llegar and volver, then join us for a free Spanish class with one of our friendly, certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Sign up today!

Practice Using Venir and Llegar with a Free Class!

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  • Author
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Faustina Mulnik
Faustina Mulnik
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
As a native English speaker, I’ve spent over 6 years perfecting my Spanish. My studies have led me to major in Spanish, translate documents at a local museum, and communicate with people I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to know. I’ve studied abroad in Spain, lived in Yellowstone National Park for a summer, and volunteered in Costa Rica. I’m a passionate travel enthusiast seeking to share my love for all things Latin America.
Faustina Mulnik
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