llegar
/ʝeˈɡaɾ/
To arrive in Spanish is to say llegar. Wiktionary also lists arribar.
Meaning: to get to a certain place (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| llegar | /ʝeˈɡaɾ/ |
| arribar | /ariˈbaɾ/ |
The most common and versatile word for 'arrive' in Spanish is llegar. It is used to express getting to a certain place. Additionally, the idiomatic phrase llegar a ser is a common idiomatic way to express the process of arriving at a certain state or becoming something (e.g., 'He became a doctor').
Which one should you use?
While both mean to arrive, arribar is much more formal and is typically used in the context of ships, planes or official arrivals.
How does it change in a sentence?
When specifying the destination, llegar is almost always followed by the preposition a.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝeˈɡaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget the preposition a when saying they arrive at a place, but in Spanish, you must use llegar a [lugar].
Did you know?
- While llegar means 'to arrive' in Spanish, its distant relative in Romanian, pleca, means the exact opposite: 'to leave'.
Examples in context
- No la vio llegar.I didn't see her arrive.This sentence shows the use of llegar to describe seeing someone arrive.Tatoeba #8326788 by arh, translation #8391498 by helloroto
- No llegaron a tiempo.They didn't arrive on time.This sentence shows how to use llegar to talk about arriving on time.Tatoeba #7786247 by arh, translation #8188240 by lucasmg123
- Llegaré tarde a clase.I will arrive late to class.This sentence shows how to use llegar when talking about arriving late to a location.Tatoeba #6677049 by arh, translation #8953735 by Nylez
- El tren llegará a las 10 am.The train will arrive at 10 am.
- Mañana llegaremos a la conferencia puntualmente.Tomorrow we will arrive at the conference punctually.
- El vuelo arribará al aeropuerto internacional.The flight will arrive at the international airport.
- El embajador arribó para la reunión diplomática.The ambassador arrived for the diplomatic meeting.
- ¿Cuándo llegas?When are you arriving?
- Oye, ¿ya arribaste?Hey, have you arrived yet?
- 126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking on the phone about a party.
- Sofía¿A qué hora vas a llegar, Mateo?What time are you going to arrive, Mateo?
- MateoCreo que voy a llegar a las ocho.I think I will arrive at eight.
- SofíaPerfecto, yo ya voy a llegar ahora.Perfect, I am about to arrive now.
- MateoEstá bien, nos vemos allí.All right, I'll see you there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “arrive” translations and entries llegar, arribar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arribar, llegar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
