he llegado
/e ʝeɡado/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I have arrived" is said as he llegado.
he llegado is a statement used to announce that you have reached a destination. You can add ya before the phrase to say ya he llegado ("I have already arrived"), which is a common way to emphasize that the arrival has just occurred or that you are already there.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the auxiliary verb he (I have) and the past participle llegado (arrived).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, the phrase Acabo de llegar is used to convey "I have just arrived".
How does it change in a sentence?
This phrase uses the present perfect tense, which is used to describe an action that has just been completed or has relevance to the present. To say 'he/she has arrived', you change the auxiliary verb from he to ha.
How do you pronounce it?
/e ʝeɡado/
Did you know?
- The auxiliary verb he in he llegado has roots in the Arabic word hā, which was used as a pointer or attention-getter.
- While he llegado is a statement of fact, texting ya llegué in many Spanish-speaking cultures functions as a social ritual to signal safety to family members.
- The verb llegar can be used idiomatically to mean 'to be enough' or 'to suffice', such as saying the money no llega for the bills.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señor. Le informo que he llegado a la ciudad tal y como acordamos.Good morning, sir. I inform you that I have arrived in the city as we agreed.
- ¡Hola chicos! Ya estoy aquí, listo para comenzar la fiesta.Hi, guys! I'm here, ready to start the party.
- Oye, he llegado a la estación. ¿Dónde te encuentras?Hey, I have arrived at the station. Where are you?
- ¡Por fin he llegado!I have finally arrived!
- He llegado a la estación.I have arrived at the station.
- Ya he llegado a casa.I have already arrived home.
Example conversation
Daniel arrives at María's house for a meeting.
- DanielHola María, ya he llegado.Hi María, I have arrived.
- María¡Qué bueno que has llegado, Daniel!It's good that you have arrived, Daniel!
- DanielSí, el tráfico era terrible.Yes, the traffic was terrible.
- MaríaPasa, por favor.Come in, please.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries he, llegado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
