French Conversation · Level 22
90 words
French word
arriver
Pronunciation
IPA/aʁive/
Meaning
- verbarrive
Example
Tu arrives quand ?
When are you arriving?
More examples
Ça m'arrive souvent.
It often happens to me.
Core concept
A path ends at a marked point: a traveler reaches a place, a time is reached, or an event comes to pass.
Common phrases
arriver en avance
arrive early
arriver par hasard
happen by chance
arriver à l'improviste
happen unexpectedly
Similar words
venir: Move toward the speaker and arrive.
partir: Leave the current place and depart.
se passer: Happen as an event or situation.
entrer: Go into a place.
Definition in French
Atteindre un lieu ou un moment donné; servir aussi à exprimer qu'une chose se produit.
Word origin
Arriver comes through Old French ariver from a Vulgar Latin form based on Latin ad ripam, 'to the shore', with its sense extending to places, times, and events.
Usage tips
- In the passé composé, intransitive arriver takes être: Elle est arrivée à midi, and the past participle agrees with the subject.