Ir is movement away from where the speaker is. Venir is movement towards it. Spanish holds to the speaker's position, so the two do not swap the way go and come do in English.
Where the choice changes the meaning
| Context | ir | venir |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Voy — away from where I am now. | Vengo — towards where I am now. |
| Answering a call | ¡Voy! — the Spanish for "I'm coming!" | ¡Vengo! says you arrive where you already are. |
| Origin | Voy a Madrid — the destination. | Vengo de Madrid — venir with de names where you start. |
| The near future | Voy a comer — ir a plus an infinitive. | Not used for the future. |
| Set phrases | Ir de compras, ir a pie. | Venir bien — to suit: me viene bien. |
| With a gerund | Va mejorando — bit by bit. | Viene diciendo — he has been saying it for a while. |