Je viens de manger — je n'ai plus faim. Nous venons de finir le projet. Elle vient d'arriver. Ils viennent de partir, tu les as ratés de peu !
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Materials
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GrammarA2venir depassé récent
venir de + infinitive (recent past)
Le passé récent : venir de + infinitif
A2fr20 min
What you'll learn
- Say something just happened
- Use the present tense of venir
- Compare it with aller + infinitive
Tips for this lesson
- venir de + infinitive = 'just did' — present tense of venir, not the past tense.
- It's the mirror image of aller + infinitive (futur proche): one looks back, one looks forward.
- de contracts before a vowel infinitive: venir d'arriver.
Step 1 of 6
1Reading
In context
Read. Notice venir de + infinitive means something JUST happened, even though venir is in the present tense.
Step 2 of 6
2The pattern
The pattern — venir (present) + de + infinitive
venir de + infinitive means 'just did [something]' — the mirror image of aller + infinitive.
venir de + infinitive means "to have just done [something]" — an action that finished a moment ago. It's the exact mirror image of the futur proche you already know (aller + infinitive = going to do; venir de + infinitive = just did). Conjugate venir in the present tense (je viens, tu viens, il vient...) — even though the meaning is past, the verb form is present. Add de (which becomes d' before a vowel) and the infinitive: "je viens de manger" (I just ate).
| Pronoun | venir (present) | + de + infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| je | viens | je viens de manger |
| tu | viens | tu viens de finir |
| il / elle / on | vient | elle vient d'arriver |
| nous | venons | nous venons de partir |
| vous | venez | vous venez de commencer |
| ils / elles | viennent | ils viennent de sortir |
Je viens de manger.
I just ate.
Present tense venir + de + infinitive — not a real past tense form.
Elle vient d'arriver.
She just arrived.
de → d' before the vowel in arriver.
Nous venons de finir.
We just finished.
Ils viennent de partir.
They just left.
Contrast: je vais partir (I'm going to leave) — the mirror structure.
Erreurs fréquentes
- Je suis venu de manger.Je viens de manger.
Don't put venir in the passé composé — the structure needs venir in the PRESENT tense; the 'past' meaning comes from de + infinitive.
- Je viens manger.Je viens de manger.
Without de, 'je viens manger' just means 'I'm coming to eat' — a totally different meaning. de is essential.
- Using venir de for something from last week.venir de is only for VERY recent past — moments ago, not days ago.
For anything more than a few moments back, use the passé composé instead.
Exceptions & à retenir
venir de can be put in the imparfait for 'had just'
Je venais de manger quand il est arrivé (I had just eaten when he arrived) — the whole structure can shift to imparfait for 'had just done' in a past-tense story. Advanced use, just note it exists.
Don't confuse with venir de + place
venir de + a PLACE (je viens de Lyon, A1-11) is unrelated in structure — it's venir + de + a noun (origin), not venir + de + an infinitive (recent past). Same words, different job depending on what follows.
Astuces & mémo
- Remember the mirror pair: aller + infinitive (about to) ↔ venir de + infinitive (just did) — learning one reinforces the other.
- venir de only works for something genuinely recent — 'a moment ago', not last week.
- de becomes d' before a vowel infinitive: je viens d'arriver, elle vient d'écrire.
Step 3 of 6
3Q&A drill
Just did or going to?
Match each sentence to aller + infinitive or venir de + infinitive.
- Q1Je viens de manger.A____________
- Q2Je vais manger.A____________
- Q3Elle vient d'arriver.A____________
- Q4Elle va arriver.A____________
Step 4 of 6
4Fill the blanks
Guided practice — form venir de
Complete with venir de + the infinitive shown.
Example
Je (1) (manger).
→ Je viens de manger.
Exercice
Nous (1) (finir) le travail.
Exercice
Elle (2) (arriver).
Exercice
Ils (3) (partir).
Answer pool — drag onto a blank (or tap to fill the next one)
Next empty blank: 1
Step 5 of 6
5Word order
Build the sentence
Put the words in the correct order.
Example
viensjemangerde→Je viens de manger.
- Sentence 1Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 2Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 3Tap the words below to build the sentence.
Step 6 of 6
6Speak freely
Produce it
Say three things that just happened, using venir de + infinitive.
Ex.Je viens de finir mon travail. Mon collègue vient d'envoyer un message. Nous venons de terminer la réunion.
- 1.Qu'est-ce que vous venez de faire ?
- 2.Qu'est-ce qui vient de se passer autour de vous ?
- 3.Vos amis viennent-ils de faire quelque chose d'intéressant ?