The Italian Verb Files
VENIRE
For our next Italian verb of The Italian Verb Files we are going to look at… VENIRE!
VENIRE means “to come” in English. But, as with many Italian verbs, it can be used in a variety of different ways.
VENIRE is irregular in many tenses such as the present, the future, its past participle (venuto), etc. So when you are conjugating it, double check if you are unsure.
VENIRE - Italian Verb Conjugation Table
Click to download for FREE! — The Italian Verb Files – Verb Conjugation – Venire
This Italian Verb Conjugation Chart with VENIRE shows you the most common Italian verb tenses (3 more subjunctive verb tenses not on here).
Use it as a quick and easy reference sheet for your Italian verb conjugation!
VENIRE with cost
One common time that you will hear “VENIRE” used frequently, is when Italians talk about cost.
Rather than thinking of the verb as meaning “to cost”, you can compare it to the English expressions “to come to” (eg. How much do the shoes come to?).
For example:
“How much are the shoes? / How much do the shoes come to?” = Quanto vengono le scarpe?
“How much is it? / How much does it come to?” = Quanto viene?
While this is not the only way to ask about the cost of something, it is often used.
Usually this verb is used after you have decided to buy something and you are in the process of paying for it. The verb “costare” (to cost) can be used at any point to just generally ask for the price.
VENIRE with feelings
The next way that you will hear VENIRE used a lot, is with feelings or emotions.
In this case, “venire” is used with a pronoun in front and it translates to “to feel like”.
- Mi è venuta voglia di piangere. = I felt like crying.
- Quando ci penso, mi viene da ridere. = When I think about it, I feel like laughing.
VENIRE used instead of "essere" in passive sentences
One use of VENIRE that often confuses Italian students, is when it is used instead of “essere” in passive sentences.
**Note that this does not work in every passive sentence. Often the two verbs are interchangeable, but “venire” must be used in simple tenses only. For example, if you are writing in a compound tense like the passato prossimo or the trapassato prossimo, you cannot substitute “venire” in a passive sentence. The use of “venire” would not work correctly in these cases.
Examples:
- La porta viene aperta subito dopo la riunione. = The door is opened immediately after the meeting.
- Non viene considerata una priorità. = It is not considered a priority.
VENIRE to ask about an outcome
Another use for the verb VENIRE is with asking how something turned out.
In this case, “venire” is used to talk about the outcome of something. In English we use expressions like: “How did it go?” / “How did it turn out?”
In Italian, you can ask: “Com’è venuto?”
Examples:
- Fammi sapere com’è venuto/a! = Let me know how it turned out!
- Hai fatto l’intervista! Sei soddisfatto di com’è venuta? = You did the interview! Are you happy with how it went / turned out?
Italian Phrases and Expressions with "VENIRE"
Next up, we have some more common Italian idioms and expressions that use VENIRE and didn’t fit into the other categories above:
- venire in mente = to come to mind
- Alla come viene, viene. = It is what it is! (literally: How it comes, it comes)
- Da che pulpito viene la predica! = Look who’s talking! – (literally: “From what pulpit the sermon is coming!”)
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Thanks for reading! I hope you discovered some new ways to use VENIRE and some interesting new Italian expressions along the way!
Did I miss an Italian expression with VENIRE that you like? Have you heard many of these before? Let me know in the comments!
If you are interested in more Italian idioms and expressions with common verbs, check out my posts on the Italian verbs ESSERE and AVERE!
Italian Grammar Worksheets
Looking for more Italian grammar practice for your class?
Check out these Italian worksheets in the present tense and the passato prossimo! More available on my TPT site.
