Do I say ‘I am coming’ or do I say that ‘I am going’?
Coming or Going. When to use the verb ‘venir’ as opposed to ‘ir’ is a topic in Spanish that always drove me crazy.
I cannot recall how many times I said to a Spanish speaking friend on the phone or elsewhere ‘Vengo a tu casa’ (I’m coming to your house) or ‘Vengo a la tienda ahora’ (I’m coming to the store now) or a similar phrase. Only to be corrected and told ‘No, dime ‘vas’ (‘No, tell me ‘you are going’)
My response was usually, something like ‘I’m coming to your house, I’m going to your house. What’s the difference?’
Well, unless you leave in England, there is no difference. In the U.S., I can say ‘I’m coming to your house.’ Or I can say ‘I’m going to your house.’ And I can say either one without fear of being corrected even by an English scholar.
But not in Spanish . . .
The verbs for coming (venir) and going (ir) are not interchangeable
in Spanish.
The Spanish textbook rule of thumb is that you cannot come (venir) to a location other than where you are at that moment. You can only go (ir) to location that is somewhere other than where you are at that moment. ‘Venir’ is used to refer to your present location. Where you are at that very moment. Or in a much larger sense, the city, state or country where you are presently.
As I said, that’s the textbook rule. But I have my own rule of thumb. And it
has worked well for me for years. And now I want to share it with you . . .
I think of the Spanish verb ‘venir’ the same way I think of the English verb
‘to arrive’ (‘llegar’).
Surely, I wouldn’t tell a friend on the phone — in any language — that
‘I’m arriving at your house now’ when I am still home just putting my jacket on. Well, maybe I would if I was on my cell phone and he or she had no idea where I really was and I didn’t want him or her to realize how late I was going to be. But that’s not the point I’m trying to make.
If in English, I wouldn’t use the verb ‘to arrive,’ then I wouldn’t use the verb ‘venir (to come)’ in Spanish.
Por ejemplo (for example), if I am ready to leave my house to go to a friends house, I wouldn’t call hims and say ‘I’m arriving at your house
now’ (except as mentioned above). So I wouldn’t use the Spanish verb ‘venir’ in this case. Instead, I would use either ‘ir’ (to go) or ‘irse’ (to leave)
Voy a tu casa ahora (I am going to your house now) Me voy ahora (I am leaving now).
I hope this helps you determine when to use the verb ‘venir’ and when to
us ‘ir as you continue learning Spanish.
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