The preterite of venir is used to express when someone came to a place at a specific moment in the past. For example, “My friends came to my house last night” – “Mis amigos vinieron a mi casa anoche.”
This is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. The stem changes to ‘vin-‘ throughout all forms, making it essential to memorize these forms separately from regular patterns.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Venir (to come) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | vine |
| Tú | viniste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | vino |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | vinimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | vinisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | vinieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Venir (to come) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Venir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of venir expresses completed actions of coming or arriving.
To come/arrive: Describes completed movement toward a place, for example Vine a la fiesta temprano (I came to the party early), or Vinieron mis padres de visita (My parents came to visit).
To originate/stem from: Indicates origin or source, for example El problema vino de un error técnico (The problem came from a technical error).
Examples
Examples of Venir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Vine en cuanto recibí tu mensaje. (I came as soon as I received your message.)
¿Por qué no viniste a la fiesta? (Why didn’t you come to the party?)
María vino a visitarnos ayer. (Maria came to visit us yesterday.)
Vinimos en tren desde Barcelona. (We came by train from Barcelona.)
Todos vinieron a la ceremonia de graduación. (Everyone came to the graduation ceremony.)
¿A qué hora viniste anoche? (What time did you come last night?)
El médico vino inmediatamente. (The doctor came immediately.)
Vinimos a ayudar cuando supimos la noticia. (We came to help when we heard the news.)
Los turistas vinieron de todas partes del mundo. (Tourists came from all parts of the world.)
Vine a pie porque no había taxis. (I came on foot because there were no taxis.)
¿Por qué vinieron tan tarde? (Why did they come so late?)
Viniste justo a tiempo para la presentación. (You came just in time for the presentation.)
Mis padres vinieron a cenar anoche. (My parents came for dinner last night.)
Vine directamente del trabajo. (I came directly from work.)
Los invitados vinieron bien vestidos. (The guests came well-dressed.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Venir (to come) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo vine | I came |
| Tú viniste | You came |
| Él / Ella / Usted vino | He / She / You (formal) came |
| Nosotros / Nosotras vinimos | We came |
| Vosotros / Vosotras vinisteis | You all came |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes vinieron | They / You all (formal) came |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.