Venir is the most common way to say “to come” in French. But, as with many common verbs, there are several other options that add nuance and precision to your speech.

Learning French means mastering not just the basics, but also the rich variety of expressions that make conversations natural and engaging. Knowing different ways to say “to come” will significantly enhance your fluency and comprehension.

Let’s explore 9 different ways to express “to come” in French, understanding when and how to use each one!

The standard 'to come' – venir

The standard "to come" – venir

Venir is the most fundamental and common verb for "to come" in French. It's an essential verb for expressing movement.

As a highly frequent verb, venir is irregular. You'll need to memorize its conjugations, especially in the present tense, as it's used constantly in everyday conversation.

Its primary meaning is "to come," indicating movement towards the speaker, a specified location, or a particular point in time.

One of its most common uses is with the preposition de to express:

• Origin: "to come from" (e.g., Je viens de France - I come from France).
• Recent Past (Passé Récent): "to have just done something" (e.g., Je viens de manger - I have just eaten). This is a crucial grammatical construction.

When followed by à, venir can mean "to come to" an event or location, or "to happen to" in a more figurative sense.

• Venir à une fête - to come to a party.
• Cela vient à l'esprit - That comes to mind.

Venir is often followed directly by an infinitive or with chercher/voir to indicate the purpose of coming:

• Venir chercher - to come pick up (e.g., Je viens te chercher - I'm coming to pick you up).
• Venir voir - to come see (e.g., Il est venu me voir - He came to see me).

It's important to distinguish venir from aller (to go). While venir implies movement towards the speaker or a common point, aller implies movement away from the speaker or the current location.

Venir is highly versatile and used across all registers, from very formal speech to casual conversations. It's truly a cornerstone of French communication.

Mastering venir and its various constructions is fundamental for anyone learning French, as it's indispensable for discussing movement, origin, and recent past actions.

💡 * Je viens de Paris. (I come from Paris.)

• Nous venons de manger. (We have just eaten.)
• Quand viendras-tu me voir ? (When will you come see me?)
• Ils sont venus à la fête hier soir. (They came to the party last night.)
• Elle vient de rentrer chez elle. (She has just returned home.)

To arrive at a destination – arriver

To arrive at a destination – arriver

The verb arriver is the most common and direct way to say "to arrive" in French. Like many verbs of movement, it uses the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses, not avoir.

When indicating a physical destination, arriver is typically followed by the preposition à (or its contractions au, aux) for specific places, or en for feminine countries, continents, or means of transport.

To express arrival at a specific time, you can also use à. For a date or day, le is often used, or simply the time/date.

Arriver can also mean "to happen" or "to occur," especially in impersonal constructions like Il arrive que... (It happens that...). It can also informally mean "to succeed" or "to manage."

As a regular -ER verb, its present tense conjugation is straightforward: j'arrive, tu arrives, il/elle/on arrive, nous arrivons, vous arrivez, ils/elles arrivent.

💡 * J'arrive à la maison. (I'm arriving home.)

• Nous sommes arrivés à l'aéroport en avance. (We arrived at the airport early.)
• Quand arriverez-vous à Berlin ? (When will you arrive in Berlin?)
• Le train arrive à 14h30. (The train arrives at 2:30 PM.)

4. To come back home – rentrer

When you want to express 'to come back home' or 'to go home' in French, the verb you'll most frequently use is rentrer.

Rentrer specifically implies returning to one's home, a building, or an interior space. It carries the nuance of going back inside or back to one's base.

Like many verbs of movement, rentrer uses the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses, such as the passé composé. Remember to agree the past participle with the subject when être is used (e.g., Je suis rentré, Elle est rentrée).

While primarily used intransitively (meaning 'to go home' or 'to come back in'), rentrer can also be transitive, meaning 'to bring something/someone back in' or 'to take something inside'. For example, rentrer les courses (to bring the groceries in).

It's important to distinguish rentrer from retourner ('to return' or 'to go back'). While retourner is a general 'return' to any place, rentrer specifically implies returning home or indoors.

Often, rentrer is used on its own when the context clearly indicates returning home. You might also hear rentrer à la maison (to go home/to come home), which emphasizes 'home' explicitly.

💡 *Je suis rentré(e) tard hier soir. (I came home late last night.)
*Elle rentre du travail à 18h. (She comes home from work at 6 PM.)
*Quand vas-tu rentrer ? (When are you going to come home?)
*Il a rentré les courses. (He brought the groceries in.)
*Nous rentrons à la maison. (We are going home.)

To come back (in general) – revenir

The verb revenir means 'to come back' or 'to return' in a general sense. It implies movement towards the speaker's current location or a previously mentioned place.

Revenir is an intransitive verb, which means it doesn't take a direct object. You 'come back to a place' or 'come back from a place', not 'come back something'.

Like many verbs of movement in French, revenir uses the auxiliary verb être (to be) in compound tenses such as the passé composé. For example, je suis revenu(e) (I came back).

While revenir generally means 'to come back', it's important to differentiate it from similar verbs. Rentrer specifically means 'to come/go home' or 'to go back inside', and retourner means 'to go back' (to a place you aren't currently at, often away from the speaker).

💡 * Je suis revenu de mes vacances. (I came back from my vacation.)

• Quand reviendrez-vous ? (When will you come back?)
• Il est revenu à la maison hier soir. (He came back home last night.)
• Elle ne veut pas revenir sur sa décision. (She doesn't want to go back on her decision.)
• Revenons à nos moutons. (Let's get back to our main topic.)

To show up unexpectedly – débarquer

The French verb débarquer is a versatile term, most commonly used to mean 'to show up unexpectedly' or 'to arrive suddenly'.

Débarquer literally means 'to disembark' (from a boat, plane, etc.), but its figurative sense is far more prevalent in everyday conversation. It implies an arrival without prior notice or invitation.

This usage of débarquer is informal and often carries a slight nuance of surprise, annoyance, or even excitement at an unexpected appearance. It's common in casual speech.

You'd use débarquer when someone arrives somewhere out of the blue, often to a place like a friend's house, a party, or a meeting, without having made arrangements.

It can also describe a situation where a new person or group suddenly appears in a place or context, sometimes implying they are a bit out of place or new to the situation. For example, 'Les nouveaux ont débarqué ce matin' (The new guys showed up this morning).

Remember that while the literal meaning is 'to disembark,' the informal sense of 'showing up unannounced' or 'arriving suddenly' is the most common and useful application of débarquer in spoken French.

💡 * Ils ont débarqué chez moi sans prévenir. (They showed up at my place without warning.)

• Quand il a débarqué, tout le monde était surpris. (When he showed up, everyone was surprised.)
• Tu ne peux pas juste débarquer comme ça ! (You can't just show up like that!)
• On va débarquer à la fête plus tard. (We're going to show up at the party later.)

To come running or hasten to come – accourir

The French verb accourir directly translates to “to come running” or “to hasten to come.” It implies a rapid movement towards someone or something, often in response to a call or an urgent situation.

Unlike simply “venir” (to come), accourir emphasizes the speed and urgency of the arrival. It suggests that the person is rushing or hurrying to get to a particular place or person, highlighting a prompt and energetic response.

While understood in everyday speech, accourir often carries a slightly more formal or literary tone. It's frequently encountered in written texts, narratives, or situations where a more vivid description of movement is desired, adding a touch of elegance or drama.

Like many verbs of movement, accourir is conjugated with the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses (e.g., je suis accouru, nous sommes accourus). It follows the same conjugation pattern as its root verb, courir (to run), making it relatively straightforward for those familiar with courir.

💡 *Elle a accouru quand elle a entendu mon appel. (She came running when she heard my call.)
*Les enfants accourent à la vue de la glace. (The children rush at the sight of ice cream.)
*Il est accouru à son secours sans hésiter. (He hastened to his aid without hesitation.)
*Dès qu'il a su la nouvelle, il a accouru. (As soon as he knew the news, he came running.)

To come closer or approach – s'approcher

The verb s'approcher is a pronominal verb that means 'to come closer' or 'to approach' something or someone. It is part of the larger family of verbs related to movement and proximity.

As a pronominal verb (indicated by the s'), s'approcher always requires a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se). When you specify what is being approached, you must use the preposition de (of/from) before the object. For example, s'approcher de quelque chose (to approach something).

This verb is widely used in everyday situations, from describing physical movement ('The cat is approaching the bird') to more abstract contexts ('We are approaching the deadline'). It emphasizes the act of reducing distance.

💡 *Je m'approche du tableau pour mieux voir. (I'm coming closer to the board to see better.)
*Le chien s'est approché de l'enfant avec curiosité. (The dog approached the child curiously.)
*Nous nous approchons de la fin du projet. (We are approaching the end of the project.)
*Ne t'approche pas trop du feu ! (Don't get too close to the fire!)
*Ils s'approchent de la maison en silence. (They are approaching the house in silence.)

To show up (informal) – se pointer

To show up (informal) – se pointer is a widely used, informal French expression that translates to "to show up" or "to turn up." It's part of everyday spoken French.

This phrase is distinctly informal, making it suitable for casual conversations among friends or family, but generally avoided in formal settings. It implies an appearance, often without much prior arrangement or fanfare.

Se pointer can sometimes carry a slightly detached or even apathetic connotation, suggesting someone simply "appeared" or "materialized." It's often used when someone arrives, possibly late, unexpectedly, or just routinely.

As a reflexive verb, se pointer requires a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that agrees with the subject. For instance, "Je me pointe" (I show up) or "Tu te pointes" (You show up).

💡 * Il s'est pointé à la fête sans invitation. (He showed up at the party without an invitation.)

• On t'attendait depuis une heure, tu te pointes enfin ! (We've been waiting for you for an hour, you're finally showing up!)
• Ne t'inquiète pas, je me pointerai à l'heure. (Don't worry, I'll show up on time.)
• Quand est-ce qu'ils vont se pointer ? (When are they going to show up?)

To come bursting in or rushing down – débouler

The verb débouler is a dynamic and expressive French verb that translates primarily to 'to burst in,' 'to rush down,' or 'to come tumbling down.' It conveys a sense of sudden, often rapid, and sometimes uncontrolled movement, making it more vivid than simple verbs like venir (to come) or arriver (to arrive).

When applied to people, débouler describes someone entering a place or moving quickly and abruptly. Imagine someone 'bursting into' a room, often unexpectedly or with a sense of urgency. For example, 'Il a déboulé dans le bureau' means 'He burst into the office.'

Beyond people, débouler can also refer to objects that roll or tumble down a slope or surface. Think of a ball 'tumbling down' a hill. Metaphorically, it can even describe news or events 'breaking' or 'rushing in' suddenly, emphasizing their abrupt appearance on the scene.

Débouler is a regular -ER verb, which makes its conjugation relatively straightforward. However, it's important to note that it is conjugated with the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses, like the passé composé. For instance, 'Elle est déboulée' (She burst in).

While versatile, débouler often carries an informal or somewhat colloquial tone. It's used to add emphasis and vividness to a description of movement, making the narrative more engaging. It's a great verb to use when you want to convey not just movement, but the manner of that movement—sudden, forceful, or even a bit chaotic.

💡 *Le chien a déboulé du jardin en aboyant. (The dog burst in from the garden, barking.)
*Les enfants ont déboulé dans la cuisine pour le goûter. (The children rushed into the kitchen for snack time.)
*Une nouvelle inattendue a déboulé hier soir. (Unexpected news broke last night.)
*La balle a déboulé la pente à toute vitesse. (The ball tumbled down the slope at full speed.)
*Il est déboulé de nulle part et m'a fait sursauter. (He burst out of nowhere and made me jump.)

Are there other ways to say 'to come' in French?

Are there other ways to say “to come” in French?

Our list has covered the most common and essential verbs for 'to come' in French, like venir and aller. However, the French language is rich with nuances, and you'll find many other expressions, from idiomatic phrases to regionalisms, that convey similar ideas.

To delve deeper, you could try an online search for 'comment dire venir en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region, or 'expressions pour arriver en français'.

When you encounter new verbs or phrases related to 'coming' or 'going', always make sure to verify their precise meaning and observe how they are used in different contexts before incorporating them into your own speech.

Immerse yourself in French media — books, films, podcasts — and pay close attention. You're bound to discover a fascinating array of alternative ways to express movement and arrival.

For a comprehensive look at the various uses and conjugations of venir and aller, or to explore related verbs and expressions, the WordReference entries are an excellent starting point.

I hope this article has clarified the nuances of 'to come' in French. To conclude, here's a thought from Jean de La Bruyère that resonates with the idea of journeys and arrival: Le chemin le plus court pour aller d'un point à un autre est la ligne droite. (The shortest path from one point to another is a straight line.)