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Two small figures standing happily right outside the entrance of a colorful, welcoming storybook house, signifying the completion of a journey.

llegaron

lyeh-GAH-rohn

Verb (Preterite Tense)A1regular (with spelling change in the 'yo' preterite form only to maintain sound) ar
they arrived?Physical or figurative arrival (completed past action),you all arrived?Formal plural past action (ustedes)
Also:they reached?Referring to a destination or a point in time

Quick Reference

infinitivellegar
gerundllegando
past Participlellegado

📝 In Action

Los turistas llegaron al hotel muy cansados.

A1

The tourists arrived at the hotel very tired.

Ellos llegaron a un acuerdo después de muchas horas de negociación.

B1

They reached an agreement after many hours of negotiation.

¿A qué hora llegaron ustedes a la cena anoche?

A2

What time did you all arrive at the dinner last night?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • arribaron (they arrived (formal/nautical))
  • alcanzaron (they reached)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • llegaron a tiempo – they arrived on time
  • llegaron tarde – they arrived late

Idioms & Expressions

  • llegaron a las manos – They came to blows/they started fighting physically

💡 Grammar Points

Action Completed in the Past

This form ('llegaron') uses the Preterite tense, which is used for actions that started and finished at a specific point in the past. Think of it like a single event on a timeline.

Who is 'llegaron'?

It means 'they' (ellos/ellas) or the formal 'you all' (ustedes) did the action. You don't always need to say 'ellos' or 'ustedes' because the verb ending already tells you who performed the action.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Preterite vs. Imperfect

Mistake: "Using 'llegaban' when describing a single, finished event."

Correction: Use 'llegaron' (Preterite) for completed actions (e.g., 'They arrived at 8:00'). Use 'llegaban' (Imperfect) for habits or descriptions (e.g., 'They used to arrive early').

⭐ Usage Tips

Remembering the Spelling Change

The base verb 'llegar' has a 'g' sound. To keep that hard 'g' sound in the 'yo' form of the past tense, a 'u' is added: 'yo llegué'. However, for 'llegaron' (they/you all), the 'g' sound is naturally preserved, so no 'u' is needed.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: llegaron

Question 1 of 1

Which English phrase correctly translates the meaning of 'llegaron'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

llegar(to arrive, to reach) - verb
la llegada(arrival (noun)) - noun
llegando(arriving) - gerund

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'llegaron' the same as 'llegaban'?

No. 'Llegaron' means 'They arrived' (one specific time). 'Llegaban' means 'They used to arrive' or 'They were arriving' (a continuous or habitual past action). They are two different past tenses.

Does 'llegaron' refer to 'ellos' or 'ustedes'?

'Llegaron' is used for the third-person plural, which covers 'ellos' (they, masculine/mixed group), 'ellas' (they, feminine group), and 'ustedes' (you all, formal plural).