How to Say "they arrived" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “they arrived” is “llegaron” — use 'llegaron' when focusing on the completion of the act of arriving at a destination, whether physical or figurative..
llegaron
lyeh-GAH-rohn/ʝeˈɣaɾon/
Examples
Los invitados llegaron a la fiesta a las ocho.
The guests arrived at the party at eight.
Los turistas llegaron al hotel muy cansados.
The tourists arrived at the hotel very tired.
Ellos llegaron a un acuerdo después de muchas horas de negociación.
They reached an agreement after many hours of negotiation.
¿A qué hora llegaron ustedes a la cena anoche?
What time did you all arrive at the dinner last night?
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.
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').
vinieron
/vee-NYEHR-ohn//biˈnjeɾon/
Examples
Mis amigos vinieron a mi casa para celebrar mi cumpleaños.
My friends came to my house to celebrate my birthday.
Mis padres vinieron a visitarme el fin de semana pasado.
My parents came to visit me last weekend.
¿A qué hora vinieron ustedes a la fiesta?
What time did you all come to the party?
Los resultados vinieron con un día de retraso.
The results came (arrived) one day late.
Irregular Past Tense
The verb venir (to come) is highly irregular in the simple past (preterite). Instead of using the normal 'e' or 'ió' endings, it uses the special root 'vin-'. You just have to memorize this pattern!
Who is 'vinieron'?
This form is used for plural subjects: 'ellos' (they, masculine/mixed), 'ellas' (they, feminine), and 'ustedes' (you all, formal). For example, 'Los niños vinieron' (The children came).
Using the Regular Past Tense
Mistake: “Los amigos 'venieron' a la fiesta.”
Correction: Los amigos 'vinieron' a la fiesta. (Always use the irregular 'vin-' stem for the simple past.)
Focusing on Arrival vs. Coming
Related Translations
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