va y viene

Question

roberto _____ a la clase de historia

So... what do you think is right? - Gekkosan, Aug 23, 2017

You hav to vivr ot a try. Then you will be corrected. When you ask your question in spanish you olso should ask the question in english so that people that want to help you know what yoiu are asking - frike, Aug 23, 2017

That first sentence should read: You have to give it a try. - frike, Aug 23, 2017

should not use my cell phone t add comments - frike, Aug 23, 2017

The phone interface is painful - Gekkosan, Aug 23, 2017

Sera que ya estoy medio dormido a esta hora? Para mi los dos podrían ser, dependiendo del contexto. Una es más posible que la otra, pero para una practica de clase (supongo que es eso) no esta 100% definido cual es la respuesta correcta. - 00fac92a, Aug 23, 2017

Asumiendo que quienes hablan son dos compañeros de Roberto que se están yendo para la clase de historia, cuál seria la mejor alternativa? - 00fac92a, Aug 23, 2017

anda, jeje, otro que dice lo mismo...sin embargo, hay una más lógica. - 006595c6, Aug 23, 2017

Yo lo dije primero. El otro es "el otro", no yo. :) - 00fac92a, Aug 23, 2017

Answer 1

The verb "ir" is "go". It's a movement from where someone is towards another place far from the speaker. That would be "va"

The verb "venir" is "come". It's a movement from a distance towards the place where the speaker is.. That would be "viene".

Is the speaker in the history class? It's "viene".
Is the speaker anywhere else, for example at home? It's "va".

Totalmente de acuerdo. Dije lo mismo en un comentario. - 00fac92a, Aug 23, 2017

Qué suerte. - polenta1, Aug 24, 2017

Answer 2

I'll give you a clue the preposition "a" is a big hint here.

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I wrote this yesterday from a smart phone and didn't want to take the time to elaborate. Now that I'm back on my computer.....

As several native speakers have pointed out, you could use either here, depending on where the speaker is located.

My advice, and comment about the "hint" of the preposition "a" is based on what I think the person who wrote this fill-in-the-blank exercise is looking for. I can almost guarantee that they are looking for va in this case, and if they were looking for viene they would have used the preposition "de"

It is really a poor fill-in-the-blank question, unless it asks the student for his answer and then asks him to explain his answer. But I would bet 10-1 that it is just one of a long list of fill-in-the-blank questions which, in the authors mind, have only one correct or "best" answer. In this case, as others have said, either answer could be right.

not really, ken, you can use both verbs here. - 006595c6, Aug 23, 2017

I understand you mean "viene de" "comes from" but it could also be "viene a" with a different meaning. - polenta1, Aug 23, 2017

Polenta yes I undestand that I'm just saying what I think the quiz maker was looking for. - DilKen, Aug 24, 2017

Answer 3

Both "va" and "viene" can be correct. The correct word depends on the location of the speaker of the sentence (at the history class or somewhere else). Both choices are iqually possible.

anda, jeje, justo lo que le estaba diciendo a ken - 006595c6, Aug 23, 2017

Julian: Typo or a little Spanglish? :) Equally. :) - DilKen, Aug 23, 2017

Answer 4

How peculiar that this is subject for discussion...

However, as I think about it, I recall some Spanish-English bilingual kids that I have heard, who have trouble with this.

They have difficulty correctly connecting the English comes vs goes to with the corresponding viene vs. va in Spanish. So you may hear something like: "Mi amiga va a mi casa" when the kid is at home, and also while at home "yo vengo a mi escuela". In the first case it should be "she comes to my home" - "ella viene a mi casa", and in the second: "I go to my school" - "voy a mi escuela".

Which one is correct depends on perspective; where I am with respect to those coming or going. And it works exactly the same way in English and Spanish, which is why it puzzles me that it should be confusing.

Gekko: Sometimes it works the oposite between English and Spanish. I'm coming! (to the door) vs. ¡Voy! - DilKen, Aug 23, 2017

Granted, although that's a bit of an exception. - Gekkosan, Aug 23, 2017

Disagree. I think venir is almost always from the perspective of the speaker in Spanish, while come can be from the perspective of the speaker or listener in English. I have seen several excellent English grammar websites that confirm this. - DilKen, Aug 24, 2017

So we often use come in English when a conjugated form of ir would be used in Spanish. There are a few websites and youtube videos that try to teach that come and go should be used only from the speakers perspective in English, but they appear to be - DilKen, Aug 24, 2017

teach for whom English is not their first language. e.g. bilingual Spanish speaking natives trying to teach English according to Spanish verb usage. :(( - DilKen, Aug 24, 2017

Answer 5

Hi jaiden, welcome to the forum

Ok, so far four native speakers have said: you can use both verbs, both would be correct.

However, given the choice, I would choose one over the other. Ken is thinking in that one , too.

In Spain the article would not be there, by the way.

Roberto ...a clase de matemáticas, a clase de inglés, a clase de historia.

En este caso, yo solo usaría uno de los verbos.

let's see, Jaiden, which one would you choose?

If you think as a non native Spanish teacher you should be OK. :) - 00fac92a, Aug 23, 2017