How to Say "arrived" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “arrived” is “llegado” — use this when forming the present perfect tense with 'haber' to indicate that an action of arriving has been completed. It can also function as an adjective describing something that has arrived..
llegado
/yeh-GAH-doh//ʝeˈɣaðo/
Examples
Hemos llegado tarde a la reunión.
We have arrived late to the meeting.
He llegado a la oficina.
I have arrived at the office.
¿Ya han llegado tus padres?
Have your parents arrived yet?
Cuando llamaste, ya habíamos llegado al cine.
When you called, we had already arrived at the cinema.
Making 'Have Done' Sentences
You use 'llegado' with a form of the verb 'haber' (to have) to talk about things that have happened. For example, 'he llegado' means 'I have arrived'. In this structure, 'llegado' never changes its ending.
Adjectives Must Match
When 'llegado' is used to describe something, it acts like any other adjective and must match the thing it describes. It can change to 'llegada' (for feminine things), 'llegados' (for plural masculine), or 'llegadas' (for plural feminine).
Always 'llegado' with 'haber'
Mistake: “Mi hermana ha llegada.”
Correction: Mi hermana ha llegado. When you use 'llegado' with 'haber' to mean 'have arrived', the ending is always '-o', no matter who or what you're talking about.
Forgetting to Match
Mistake: “La gente llegado de otros países...”
Correction: La gente llegada de otros países... Because 'la gente' (the people) is a feminine word, the adjective must also be feminine: 'llegada'.
llegado
/yeh-GAH-doh//ʝeˈɣaðo/
Examples
El paquete llegado ayer ya está aquí.
The package arrived yesterday is already here.
He llegado a la oficina.
I have arrived at the office.
¿Ya han llegado tus padres?
Have your parents arrived yet?
Cuando llamaste, ya habíamos llegado al cine.
When you called, we had already arrived at the cinema.
Making 'Have Done' Sentences
You use 'llegado' with a form of the verb 'haber' (to have) to talk about things that have happened. For example, 'he llegado' means 'I have arrived'. In this structure, 'llegado' never changes its ending.
Adjectives Must Match
When 'llegado' is used to describe something, it acts like any other adjective and must match the thing it describes. It can change to 'llegada' (for feminine things), 'llegados' (for plural masculine), or 'llegadas' (for plural feminine).
Always 'llegado' with 'haber'
Mistake: “Mi hermana ha llegada.”
Correction: Mi hermana ha llegado. When you use 'llegado' with 'haber' to mean 'have arrived', the ending is always '-o', no matter who or what you're talking about.
Forgetting to Match
Mistake: “La gente llegado de otros países...”
Correction: La gente llegada de otros países... Because 'la gente' (the people) is a feminine word, the adjective must also be feminine: 'llegada'.
venido
/beh-NEE-doh//beˈni.ðo/
Examples
El recién venido parecía un poco perdido.
The newcomer seemed a little lost.
El recién venido no conocía a nadie.
The newcomer (literally: the recently come one) didn't know anyone.
Eres bien venido a esta casa.
You are welcome in this house.
Las recién venidas están buscando el hotel.
The (female) newcomers are looking for the hotel.
Matching the Noun
When 'venido' is used like an adjective to describe something, it has to match! It changes to 'venida' for feminine things, 'venidos' for masculine plural, and 'venidas' for feminine plural.
Confusing with 'bienvenido'
Mistake: “Using 'bien venido' (two words) all the time for 'welcome'.”
Correction: The single word 'bienvenido' is much more common for 'welcome'. Use 'bien venido' (two words) when you want to emphasize 'well come' or in more formal writing. Most of the time, you'll want '¡Bienvenido!'.
Don't use 'venido' for objects!
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