Regular verb
The verb to arrive
arrive → arrived → arrived
A2Meaning: to reach a place after a journey · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
arrive / arrives - Past Simple:
arrived - Past participle:
arrived - -ing form:
arriving
Conjugation of the verb to arrive
Present Simple
| I | arrive |
| You | arrive |
| He / She / It | arrives |
| We | arrive |
| You (pl.) | arrive |
| They | arrive |
Past Simple
| I | arrived |
| You | arrived |
| He / She / It | arrived |
| We | arrived |
| You (pl.) | arrived |
| They | arrived |
All the forms of the verb to arrive
Present Simple
Full pagearrive / arrives
“I arrive at 5.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are arriving
“I am arriving at school right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagearrived
“I arrived early.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were arriving
“I was arriving at school when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has arrived
“I have already arrived at school.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad arrived
“She had already arrived at school when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill arrive
“I will arrive at school tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to arrive
“I'm going to arrive at school this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould arrive
“I would arrive at school if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to arrive
1. Arriving
- I arrived early.
2. Arrive at + a small place
- We arrived at the station.
3. Arrive in + a big place
- I arrived in Paris.
A common mistake
1. Arrive to ❌
Arrive goes with at (a small place) or in (a city, a country), never with to: I arrived in London, we arrived at the station.
Going further
Conjugating to arrive is a key skill in the English contest
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Related pages: arrive
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of arrive?+
Arrived: arrive is regular. It already ends in e, so you only add -d. We arrived late.
Is it arrive at or arrive in?+
Use arrive at for a small place or a building: a station, a school, an airport. Use arrive in for a big place: a city or a country. I arrived at the airport. I arrived in London.
What is the difference between arrive and reach?+
Arrive has no direct object: you need at or in. Reach takes a direct object, with no preposition. I arrived at the station. I reached the station. Both are correct, but the patterns are different.
Why can't you say arrive to?+
In English, arrive goes with at (a small place) or in (a big place), never with to. Many learners say arrive to because they think of go to. I arrived to London ❌ → I arrived in London ✓.
What does arrival mean?+
An arrival is the moment when someone or something arrives. At an airport, Arrivals is the area for people who have just landed. New arrivals can mean new products in a shop or new people in a place.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/arrive
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.