How to Say "to arrive" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to arrive” is “llegar” — use 'llegar' when referring to a person, vehicle, or anything physically reaching a destination or endpoint..
llegar
/yeh-GAR//ʝeˈɣaɾ/
Examples
El avión llega tarde hoy.
The plane arrives late today.
El tren llega a las cinco.
The train arrives at five.
Normalmente llego a casa a las seis de la tarde.
I normally get home at six in the evening.
Mis padres llegaron ayer de sus vacaciones.
My parents arrived yesterday from their vacation.
The 'gué' Spelling Change
To keep the 'g' sound hard (like in 'go'), the 'yo' form in the simple past (preterite) changes from 'g' to 'gu'. So, 'llegar' becomes 'llegué' (I arrived). The same happens in the present subjunctive ('llegue').
Use 'a' for Destinations
When you say you arrive at a place, use the word 'a'. For example, 'Llego a la estación' (I arrive at the station).
'llegar' vs. 'venir'
Mistake: “Using 'llegar' when you mean movement towards the speaker.”
Correction: 'Llegar' focuses on the destination ('Llego a tu casa a las 8' - I'll get to your house at 8). 'Venir' means 'to come' towards the person speaking ('¿Vienes a mi casa a las 8?' - Are you coming to my house at 8?).
venir
/beh-NEER//beˈniɾ/
Examples
La nueva colección viene en junio.
The new collection comes in June.
El manual de instrucciones viene en la caja.
The instruction manual comes in the box.
El autobús viene cada diez minutos.
The bus comes every ten minutes.
Esa noticia vino en el periódico de ayer.
That news appeared in yesterday's newspaper.
General Arrival vs. Scheduled Arrival
Related Translations
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