Venir de in French: how to say just did something

Venir de + infinitive means to have just done something. The verb venir is conjugated for the subject, then de introduces the infinitive: je viens de finir = “I have just finished”, elle vient d'arriver = “she has just arrived”. Before a vowel, de becomes d'.

The structure is venir + de + infinitive

Use the present tense of venir, then de, then the infinitive. Do not use a past participle after de.

Je viens de voir Paul.
I have just seen Paul.

Nous venons de réserver une table.
We have just booked a table.

The English translation often uses “just” plus a past verb, but the French verb after de stays in the infinitive.

Before a vowel: d’

When the infinitive begins with a vowel or silent h, de becomes d'.

Elle vient d’acheter un billet.
She has just bought a ticket.

Ils viennent d’ouvrir la porte.
They have just opened the door.

This is the same contraction pattern you see in many French de phrases.

In the negative

To say someone has not just done something, put ne... pas around the conjugated form of venir.

Je ne viens pas de rentrer.
I haven’t just come home.

Elle ne vient pas d’appeler.
She hasn’t just called.

Pas goes after viens/vient/venons, not after the infinitive.

Venir de a place is different

Venir de can also mean “to come from” before a place or origin.

Je viens de Montréal.
I come from Montreal.

The meaning depends on what follows. Venir de + infinitive = just did. Venir de + place/noun = come from.

Common mistakes

Using a past participle after de

The verb after de stays in the infinitive.

Je viens de fini. -> Je viens de finir.
I have just finished.

Forgetting d’ before a vowel

Use d' before a vowel sound.

Elle vient de arriver. -> Elle vient d’arriver.
She has just arrived.

Putting pas after the infinitive

In the negative, wrap the conjugated verb.

Je viens de partir pas. -> Je ne viens pas de partir.
I haven’t just left.

Venir de is the recent-past partner of futur proche: one says what just happened, the other says what is about to happen. Fluera practices both as short time frames, so you learn which helper verb carries the tense and where the infinitive goes. Try it when you practice French.

Practice