arribar Preterite Conjugation
arribar — to arrive
The preterite of arribar is regular: arribé, arribaste, arribó, arribamos, arribasteis, arribaron.
arribar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite of arribar to talk about arriving or landing at a specific point in the past. It emphasizes the completion of the arrival.
Notes on arribar in the Preterite
Arribar is a regular -ar verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern perfectly in the preterite tense.
Example Sentences
Arribé a la estación justo a tiempo.
I arrived at the station just in time.
yo
¿Cuándo arribaste a Madrid?
When did you arrive in Madrid?
tú
El barco arribó al puerto anoche.
The ship arrived at the port last night.
él/ella/usted
Arribamos a nuestro destino después de un largo viaje.
We arrived at our destination after a long journey.
nosotros
Los invitados arribaron pasadas las nueve.
The guests arrived after nine.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'arribé' for 'I arrive' (present) instead of 'I arrived' (preterite).
Correct: Use 'arribo' for the present and 'arribé' for the completed past action.
Why: Learners sometimes confuse the first-person singular forms of the present and preterite, especially when the accent mark is the only difference.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'arribó' (he/she/it arrived).
Correct: The third-person singular preterite form is 'arribó' with an accent on the 'ó'.
Why: The accent mark is crucial for distinguishing the preterite third-person singular from other forms and indicates the stressed syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: arribo
Arribo, arribas, arriba, arribamos, arribáis, arriban are the present indicative forms of arribar.
Imperfect
yo: arribaba
Arribaba, arribabas, arribaba, arribábamos, arribabais, arribaban are the imperfect forms of arribar.
Future
yo: arribaré
Arribaré, arribarás, arribará, arribaremos, arribaréis, arribarán are the future indicative forms of arribar.
Conditional
yo: arribaría
Arribaría, arribarías, arribaría, arribaríamos, arribaríais, arribarían are the conditional forms of arribar.
Present Subjunctive
yo: arribe
Arribe, arribes, arribe, arribemos, arribéis, arriben are the present subjunctive forms of arribar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: arribara
Arribara, arribaras, arribara, arribáramos, arribarais, arribaran are the imperfect subjunctive forms of arribar.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: arriba
Arriba, arribe, arribemos, arribad, arriben are the imperative forms of arribar for commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no arribes
No arribes, no arribe, no arribemos, no arribéis, no arriben are the negative commands for arribar.