Which one should you use?
While llegar is the most common and neutral term, you may encounter other forms depending on the setting. Arribar is a formal synonym used frequently in written or official contexts, whereas plantarse is a colloquial way to say "to show up" and pintar is used informally to express arrival in certain regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the colloquial expression plantarse is used to mean "to show up" or "to turn up". In Argentina, the colloquial word pintar is used in informal situations to express arrival.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb llegar changes based on tense and person. For example, llegué means "I arrived" (first-person singular preterite), llegó means "he/she/it arrived" (third-person singular preterite) and llegarás means "you will arrive" (second-person singular future).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝeˈɡaɾ/
Did you know?
- The Spanish verb llegar is a distant cousin of the Romanian word pleca, but while the former means 'to arrive', the latter means 'to leave'.
- The verb llegar can be used idiomatically to mean 'to be enough' or 'to suffice', as in no me llega el dinero meaning 'the money is not enough'.
- In Spanish, llegar is used to describe the act of reaching a certain age, such as llegar a los treinta to mean 'turning thirty'.
Examples in context
- Yanni iba a llegar tarde.Yanni was going to arrive late.This sentence shows how to use llegar to describe a person's intended arrival time.Tatoeba #9996550 by manufrutos, translation #9992514 by Amastan
- Eres el primero en llegar.You're the first person to arrive.This sentence uses llegar to describe being the first person to arrive.Tatoeba #9165699 by ignacio, translation #9165691 by CK
- Tom fue el último en llegar.Tom was the last to arrive.This sentence uses llegar to describe being the last person to arrive.Tatoeba #1342691 by Shishir, translation #1023938 by CK
- Llegué a la reunión puntualmente.I arrived to the meeting on time.
- El vuelo arribará al aeropuerto a las 9 de la mañana.The flight will arrive at the airport at 9 in the morning.
- Ya llegué a casa, ¿qué hay de cenar?I've arrived home, what's for dinner?
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are waiting for a friend at a restaurant.
- Lucía¿A qué hora va a llegar ella?What time is she going to arrive?
- MateoCreo que va a llegar pronto.I think she is going to arrive soon.
- LucíaEspero que no tarde mucho en llegar.I hope she doesn't take long to arrive.
- MateoNo te preocupes, ya debe de llegar.Don't worry, she should arrive any moment now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry llegar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries llegar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
