A comprehensive guide to the French verbs arriver and venir, explaining their meanings, usages, and examples.
Understanding the difference between arriver and venir is essential for expressing movement and arrival in French. Both verbs relate to coming, but they focus on different aspects: arriver means “to arrive” (reaching a destination), while venir means “to come” (moving toward the speaker or a specific point). This guide explains their meanings, usage rules, and provides examples.
Meanings
The key difference between arriver and venir lies in perspective and focus:
- arriver = “to arrive” (reach a place)
- venir = “to come” (move toward the speaker or a referenced location)
Arriver emphasizes the completion of a journey or reaching a destination.
Venir emphasizes approach or movement toward a point, often where the speaker is.
Usage Rules
- Use arriver when talking about reaching or landing at a place.
Example: Je suis arrivé à Paris (I arrived in Paris).
- Use venir when talking about coming toward a person or place, especially the speaker’s location.
Example: Elle vient chez moi (She is coming to my house).
- Venir is also used in many idiomatic expressions and can be followed by infinitives to indicate “coming to do something.”
Example: Je viens te parler (I’m coming to talk to you).
- Both verbs use être as the auxiliary in compound tenses because they indicate movement.
Example: Je suis arrivé / Je suis venu.
Examples
Here are examples illustrating the difference between arriver and venir:
| Arriver (to arrive) | Venir (to come) |
|---|---|
| Je suis arrivé à 10 heures. | Je viens à 10 heures. |
| (I arrived at 10 o’clock.) | (I’m coming at 10 o’clock.) |
| Ils arrivent de Londres. | Ils viennent de Londres. |
| (They arrive from London.) | (They come from London.) |
| Marie arrive à la gare. | Marie vient à la gare. |
| (Marie arrives at the station.) | (Marie comes to the station.) |
In the pairs "Je suis arrivé à 10 heures" vs. "Je viens à 10 heures," what is the difference in focus?
"Je suis arrivé à 10 heures" focuses on the completed arrival at 10 o’clock; "Je viens à 10 heures" focuses on the action of coming at 10 o’clock.
The first sentence indicates that the arrival is completed by 10 o’clock, while the second indicates that the action of coming will happen at 10 o’clock.
Summary
- Arriver = focus on reaching or arriving at a destination.
- Venir = focus on moving toward a point, often where the speaker is.
- Both verbs use être in compound tenses.
- Context determines which verb is appropriate.
Understanding the difference helps convey movement and timing more precisely in French.
How does understanding the difference between "arriver" and "venir" improve your French?
It helps you describe movement and timing more precisely, avoiding confusion about where and when actions occur.
Knowing the difference clarifies whether the focus is on arrival or on coming, which is essential for accurate and natural expression in French.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
