convenir

Catalan

Alternative forms

• convindre

Etymology

Inherited from Latin convenīre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kum.bəˈni]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [koɱ.vəˈni]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [koɱ.veˈniɾ]
• Rhymes: -i(ɾ)

Verb

convenir (first-person singular present convinc, first-person singular preterite convinguí, past participle convingut); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /e/

1. (intransitive) to be apt or suitable
2. (intransitive) to agree (to harmonize in opinion or action)

   Synonym: estar d'acord

Conjugation

    Conjugation of convenir (third conjugation, without -eix-, irregular, with velar infix)

infinitive			convenir
gerund			convenint
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		convingut		convinguda
		plural		convinguts		convingudes
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	convinc	convens	convé	convenim	conveniu	convenen
	imperfect	convenia	convenies	convenia	conveníem	conveníeu	convenien
	future	convindré	convindràs	convindrà	convindrem	convindreu	convindran
	preterite	convinguí	convingueres	convingué	convinguérem	convinguéreu	convingueren
	conditional	convindria	convindries	convindria	convindríem	convindríeu	convindrien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	convingui	convinguis	convingui	convinguem	convingueu	convinguin
	imperfect	convingués	convinguessis	convingués	convinguéssim	convinguéssiu	convinguessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	convén	convingui	convinguem	conveniu	convinguin
	negative (no)	—	no convinguis	no convingui	no convinguem	no convingueu	no convinguin

Derived terms

• desconvenir

Related terms

• convenció
• conveni
• conveniència
• convenient

 

Further reading

• “convenir” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

Inherited from Latin convenire. Spelt covenir in Old French, etymologically reconstructed in Middle French to closer match the original Latin spelling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃v.niʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

convenir

1. to admit; to agree [with de ‘to/upon’]

   convenir du prix de quelque chose ― to agree on the price of something

   Je conviens que c’est un problème. ― I agree that it's a problem.

2. to suit; to be convenient for [with à ‘someone’]

   On se voit mardi, si cela convient aux autres. ― We’ll meet up on Tuesday, if this suits the others.

   • 1933, Henri Gaussen, Géographie des Plantes, Armand Colin, page 67:

     Il est bien évident que les plantes vivent uniquement dans les milieux qui leur conviennent […]

     It is obvious that plants live solely in the environments which suit them […]

3. (impersonal) to be appropriate or admissible (to be agreed upon according to convention) [with de]

   Il ne me convient pas d’agir ainsi. ― It would not suit me to act in that way.

   • 1963, Simone De Beauvoir, La Force des choses, Éditions Gallimard:

     Les jeunes femmes ont un sens aigu de ce qu’il convient de faire et de ne pas faire quand on a cessé d’être jeune. « Je ne comprends pas, disent-elles, que passé quarante ans on se teigne en blond ; qu’on s’exhibe en bikini ; qu’on coquette avec les hommes. Moi, quand j’aurai cet âge-là... »

     Young women have a sharp sense of what they should and should not do when they are no longer young. They say, "I don't understand women over forty who dye their hair blonde, who show themselves off in bikinis and flirt with men. When I am that age..."

Usage notes

• When conjugating convenir, compound tenses cannot be formed using être as the auxiliary verb in the sense of “to suit”. It must take avoir. This is even though it derives from venir, which takes être.

Conjugation

This is a verb in a group of -ir verbs. All verbs ending in -venir, such as revenir and devenir, are conjugated this way. Such verbs are the only verbs whose the past historic and subjunctive imperfect endings do not start in one of these thematic vowels (-a-, -i-, -u-).

Conjugation of convenir (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	convenir
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	convenant /kɔ̃v.nɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		convenu /kɔ̃v.ny/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	conviens /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃/	conviens /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃/	convient /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃/	convenons /kɔ̃v.nɔ̃/	convenez /kɔ̃v.ne/	conviennent /kɔ̃.vjɛn/
	imperfect	convenais /kɔ̃v.nɛ/	convenais /kɔ̃v.nɛ/	convenait /kɔ̃v.nɛ/	convenions /kɔ̃.və.njɔ̃/	conveniez /kɔ̃.və.nje/	convenaient /kɔ̃v.nɛ/
	past historic2	convins /kɔ̃.vɛ̃/	convins /kɔ̃.vɛ̃/	convint /kɔ̃.vɛ̃/	convînmes /kɔ̃.vɛ̃m/	convîntes /kɔ̃.vɛ̃t/	convinrent /kɔ̃.vɛ̃ʁ/
	future	conviendrai /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁe/	conviendras /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁa/	conviendra /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁa/	conviendrons /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁɔ̃/	conviendrez /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁe/	conviendront /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁɔ̃/
	conditional	conviendrais /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/	conviendrais /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/	conviendrait /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/	conviendrions /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁi.jɔ̃/	conviendriez /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁi.je/	conviendraient /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃.dʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	convienne /kɔ̃.vjɛn/	conviennes /kɔ̃.vjɛn/	convienne /kɔ̃.vjɛn/	convenions /kɔ̃.və.njɔ̃/	conveniez /kɔ̃.və.nje/	conviennent /kɔ̃.vjɛn/
	imperfect2	convinsse /kɔ̃.vɛ̃s/	convinsses /kɔ̃.vɛ̃s/	convînt /kɔ̃.vɛ̃/	convinssions /kɔ̃.vɛ̃.sjɔ̃/	convinssiez /kɔ̃.vɛ̃.sje/	convinssent /kɔ̃.vɛ̃s/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	conviens /kɔ̃.vjɛ̃/	—	convenons /kɔ̃v.nɔ̃/	convenez /kɔ̃v.ne/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Related terms

• convenance
• convention

 

Further reading

• “convenir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin convenīre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kombeˈniɾ/ [kõm.beˈniɾ]
• Rhymes: -iɾ
• Syllabification: con‧ve‧nir

Verb

convenir (first-person singular present convengo, first-person singular preterite convine, past participle convenido)

1. (transitive) to agree, agree on, agree upon

   Synonyms: acordar, concordar

2. (transitive, intransitive) to be convenient, suit
   • 1915, Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y Supersticiones Recogidos de la Tradición Oral Chilena, page 287:

     El encuentro con un fraile es de mal ag[u umlaut]ero. Para neutralizarlo, conviene tocar rápidamente un objeto de metal.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. to admit

   Synonym: admitir

4. to arrange (bring together various parts to build or form something)
5. (transitive) to convene

Conjugation

    Conjugation of convenir (irregular; e-ie-i alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			convenir
gerund			conviniendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		convenido		convenida
		plural		convenidos		convenidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	convengo	convienestú convenísvos	conviene	convenimos	convenís	convienen
	imperfect	convenía	convenías	convenía	conveníamos	conveníais	convenían
	preterite	convine	conviniste	convino	convinimos	convinisteis	convinieron
	future	convendré	convendrás	convendrá	convendremos	convendréis	convendrán
	conditional	convendría	convendrías	convendría	convendríamos	convendríais	convendrían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	convenga	convengastú convengásvos2	convenga	convengamos	convengáis	convengan
	imperfect (ra)	conviniera	convinieras	conviniera	conviniéramos	convinierais	convinieran
	imperfect (se)	conviniese	convinieses	conviniese	conviniésemos	convinieseis	conviniesen
	future1	conviniere	convinieres	conviniere	conviniéremos	conviniereis	convinieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		convéntú convenívos	convenga	convengamos	convenid	convengan
	negative		no convengas	no convenga	no convengamos	no convengáis	no convengan

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of convenir (irregular; e-ie-i alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive convenir	dative	convenirme	convenirte	convenirle, convenirse	convenirnos	conveniros	convenirles, convenirse
	accusative	convenirme	convenirte	convenirlo, convenirla, convenirse	convenirnos	conveniros	convenirlos, convenirlas, convenirse
with gerund conviniendo	dative	conviniéndome	conviniéndote	conviniéndole, conviniéndose	conviniéndonos	conviniéndoos	conviniéndoles, conviniéndose
	accusative	conviniéndome	conviniéndote	conviniéndolo, conviniéndola, conviniéndose	conviniéndonos	conviniéndoos	conviniéndolos, conviniéndolas, conviniéndose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative convén	dative	convenme	convente	convenle	convennos	not used	convenles
	accusative	convenme	convente	convenlo, convenla	convennos	not used	convenlos, convenlas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative convení	dative	convenime	convenite	convenile	conveninos	not used	conveniles
	accusative	convenime	convenite	convenilo, convenila	conveninos	not used	convenilos, convenilas
with formal second-person singular imperative convenga	dative	convéngame	not used	convéngale, convéngase	convénganos	not used	convéngales
	accusative	convéngame	not used	convéngalo, convéngala, convéngase	convénganos	not used	convéngalos, convéngalas
with first-person plural imperative convengamos	dative	not used	convengámoste	convengámosle	convengámonos	convengámoos	convengámosles
	accusative	not used	convengámoste	convengámoslo, convengámosla	convengámonos	convengámoos	convengámoslos, convengámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative convenid	dative	convenidme	not used	convenidle	convenidnos	conveníos	convenidles
	accusative	convenidme	not used	convenidlo, convenidla	convenidnos	conveníos	convenidlos, convenidlas
with formal second-person plural imperative convengan	dative	convénganme	not used	convénganle	convéngannos	not used	convénganles, convénganse
	accusative	convénganme	not used	convénganlo, convénganla	convéngannos	not used	convénganlos, convénganlas, convénganse

Related terms

• convención
• conveniencia
• conveniente
• convenio

 

Further reading

• “convenir”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10