Llegar vs Venir – Arrive vs Come
When deciding between llegar and venir you focus on whether the action is about reaching a place (use llegar) or moving toward the speaker's location (use venir).
Llegar
Use llegar to emphasize arrival at a specific place, often relative to the event or to an external point. Think of it as reaching the destination.
Examples
Venir
Use venir when highlighting movement toward the speaker's current or anticipated location. It frames the action from the speaker's perspective.
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Examples
| Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🏨 ¿Puedes venir a la recepción? | Can you come to the reception? |
| 🍽️ Venimos a cenar contigo. | We came to have dinner with you. |
| 🗺️ Ella viene del museo. | She is coming from the museum. |
| 🛍️ ¿Vienes al mercado conmigo? | Are you coming to the market with me? |
| 🎉 Vienen a la fiesta esta noche. | They are coming to the party tonight. |
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Differences
Llegar centers on the act of reaching a place, while venir highlights movement toward the speaker; they are not always interchangeable because they signal different viewpoints.
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Related Verbs
Other verbs like ir, volver, and regresar also encode direction relative to the speaker and can change the nuance when telling about movements and arrivals.
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Summary
Use llegar to mark arrival at a place and venir to signal movement toward the speaker; choosing between them shapes how listeners picture the event's location and direction.
Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025