Listen, grammar is not my strongest point but could "venirse" be used here in the sense of a pronoun as it is a pronominal verb. "They themselves are able to come back". Not very good English, I know.

De repente can also mean "unexpectedly" which is what I would say is the meaning here.

Failing this, wait for someone who knows what they are talking about. he he.

I suspect that it's supposed to mean "We found a house and are busy with the closing, soon you/they can come celebrate Xmas with us and get to know it (the new house').

samdie said:

I suspect that it's supposed to mean "We found a house and are busy with the closing, soon you/they can come celebrate Xmas with us and get to know it (the new house').

My guess: venirse just adds effect, like adding "over" in English:

you can come over and celebrate Christmas

Waiting to be corrected by the "se" gurus . . .

:

My guess: venirse just adds effect, like adding "over" in English:

I like Natasha's explanation! I completely agree.

I agree with what has been said, and will only add that you should be careful using venirse, because it is used colloquially to mean "to come (sexually)." One assumes that is not the intended meaning here.

Interestingly, the same meaning is conveyed in Japanese by the verb iku, which means to go. Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

James Santiago said:

I agree with what has been said, and will only add that you should be careful using venirse, because it is used colloquially to mean "to come (sexually)."

Not in Spain! We can safely say "¿Te vienes'" and no one would ever think of anything sexual.

Sometimes I wonder whether it is because of the English influence, or a coincidence, since I've already noticed that other languages (namely Japanese, as you said) use the same one. In Spain we use the pronominal form of the verb "to run" for this sexual meaning.

Thank you all, and I think that it would be safe to assume that the sexual meaning is not what was intended. The guy who sent this to me is so macho that he wouldn't let me where a bandage on my forehead (where I had a cut) while we visited them in Uruguay because he said it was the sign of the horn, in other words that people would say my wife had cheated on me.

James Santiago said:

I agree with what has been said, and will only add that you should be careful using venirse, because it is used colloquially to mean "to come (sexually)." One assumes that is not the intended meaning here.Interestingly, the same meaning is conveyed in Japanese by the verb iku, which means to go. Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

When someone knocks on our door we respond "I'm coming"--at least in US English. I've noticed that in Colombia, the response is often "Ya voy" or simply "voy" which would translate "I'm going." Which one is more logically correct'

When someone knocks on our door we respond "I'm coming"--at least in US English. I've noticed that in Colombia, the response is often "Ya voy" or simply "voy" which would translate "I'm going." Which one is more logically correct'

I've said before on this forum that I think the Spanish version is more logical, but then it's dangerous to apply too much logic to language conventions.

We can use come and go in English in both directions, unlike in Spanish (or Japanese). If I call you on the phone, you wouldn't blink if I said, "What time shall I come over'" I guess the logic (if any) is that from your perspective I am coming to your house, and I am putting myself in your place. That's a stretch, though.

CalvoViejo said:

When someone knocks on our door we respond "I'm coming"--at least in US English. I've noticed that in Colombia, the response is often "Ya voy" or simply "voy" which would translate "I'm going." Which one is more logically correct?

I agree with James: it is not necessarily a matter of logic, but perspective. English uses both verbs in either direction (which makes me wonder what is the difference sometimes between them), using almost any perspective as a reference, whereas in Spanish, "ir" means "to go to a place, other than HERE", and "venir" means to "come HERE", both always from the perspective of the speaker.

In Spain we also say "Voy" and "Ya voy".

(which makes me wonder what is the difference sometimes between them)

The strange part is that in the example I gave above, "go" would sound very odd, almost incorrect.

• What time shall I go?
• Go where?
• To your house.
• Oh, why didn't you say so?

Furthermore, if CV is at home, he cannot use "go" to refer to my action of traveling to his house.

"Why don't you go to my house'" - no good
"Why don't you come to my house (or, come over)'" - good

So, go and come are not really interchangeable in all contexts. That's why I say that the Spanish system is more logical and consistent; the perspective is always the same. In English, though, the perspective shifts in a way that is difficult to predict with logic alone.

"De repente" in this case I think means "maybe" or "perhaps". My reasoning is that in Colombia they have a similar expression to convey the same thing which is "de pronto". I've noticed that both of these are used and it makes more sense in the sentence.

CalvoViejo said:

James Santiago said:

I agree with what has been said, and will only add that you should be careful using venirse, because it is used colloquially to mean "to come (sexually)." One assumes that is not the intended meaning here.Interestingly, the same meaning is conveyed in Japanese by the verb iku, which means to go. Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

When someone knocks on our door we respond "I'm coming"--at least in US English. I've noticed that in Colombia, the response is often "Ya voy" or simply "voy" which would translate "I'm going." Which one is more logically correct?

Wow, this disucssion has gotten interesting.

The cab driver in "Mi Vida Loca" says "¡Ya voy!" too, and he is coming to the car, not going away.

Furthermore: some of the logical distinctions in English are collapsing. Forget go/come. When's the last time you heard someone use take/bring correctly'

When's the last time you heard someone use take/bring correctly'

Good point. I think that pair follows the same pattern as go/come, however contorted that pattern may be.

I sometimes pity the people who have to learn English as adults. Simple grammar, but crazy spelling, inconsistency everywhere, nonsensical verb+preposition idioms, etc. I think that's one reason I love Spanish; it seems so much more...well planned.