Arrivare means “to arrive” or “to get to” a place. It is one of the first verbs learners meet that takes essere in the past (sono arrivato), and it also stretches to reaching a shelf, a goal or the point of an argument.
Infinitive
arrivare
English
to arrive, to get to
Auxiliary
essere
Past participle
arrivato
Gerund
arrivando
Regular -ARE verb: drop -are and add the standard endings (arrivo, arrivi, arriva, arriviamo, arrivate, arrivano). No form is irregular. In the future and conditional the a of the infinitive becomes e: arriverò, arriverei. Keep the double r in every form. Note that arrivi is both the tu form of the present and the singular present subjunctive: tu arrivi, but spero che lui arrivi presto.
The preposition depends on the destination: a for cities and towns (arrivo a Milano alle tre), in for countries and regions (siamo arrivati in Sicilia), a casa for home, and da for the starting point (il volo arriva da Londra). Italians say arrivo! when they mean “I'm coming” or “I'm on my way.” Beyond travel, arrivare a means to reach something physically (non arrivo allo scaffale più alto) or to go as far as doing something (è arrivato a darmi del bugiardo). With ci it means to grasp an idea: ci sei arrivato? (have you figured it out?). Things arrive too: è arrivato un pacco per te.
Arrivare takes essere, so the participle agrees with the subject: è arrivato, è arrivata, siamo arrivati, le ragazze sono arrivate. In standard Italian it never takes avere.
Arrivare in context
Presente:Il treno da Napoli arriva al binario tre. (The train from Naples arrives at platform three.)
Passato Prossimo:Siamo arrivati a Venezia ieri sera, stanchi ma felici. (We got to Venice last night, tired but happy.)
Imperfetto:Arrivavo sempre in ritardo a scuola, e la maestra si arrabbiava. (I was always late for school, and the teacher used to get angry.)
Futuro Semplice:A che ora arriverete all'aeroporto? (What time will you get to the airport?)
Futuro Anteriore:Alle otto saranno sicuramente arrivati a casa. (By eight they will surely have got home.)
Congiuntivo Presente:Aspettiamo che arrivino tutti prima di cominciare. (Let's wait until everyone arrives before we start.)
Condizionale Passato:Senza il navigatore non saremmo mai arrivati qui. (Without the satnav we would never have got here.)
Common expressions with arrivare
arrivo!: I'm coming, I'm on my way. The present tense is used for something you are about to do. Also arrivo subito (I'll be right there).
ben arrivato: welcome. The participle agrees with the person you greet: ben arrivata, ben arrivati.
arrivarci: to get it, to figure something out. Ci sei arrivato? means “do you get it?” In context, non ci arrivo can also mean “I can't reach it.”
arrivare primo / ultimo: to come first / last (in a race or contest)
arrivare a fare qualcosa: to go so far as to do something
chi tardi arriva, male alloggia: latecomers get the worst place. A proverb, literally “whoever arrives late finds poor lodging.” It is close to “the early bird catches the worm.”
Common mistakes
Sono arrivato alle otto., not Ho arrivato alle otto. (I arrived at eight.). Arrivare is a verb of motion toward a destination, and those take essere in compound tenses. A woman says sono arrivata.
Le mie amiche sono arrivate ieri., not Le mie amiche sono arrivato ieri. (My friends arrived yesterday.). With essere the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number. Le mie amiche is feminine plural, so arrivate.
Sono arrivato a casa molto tardi., not Sono arrivato alla casa molto tardi. (I got home very late.). For your own home, Italian says a casa with no article. Alla casa refers to a specific house that you have already mentioned.
Essere: sono arrivato, sei arrivata, sono arrivati. The participle agrees with the subject. In standard modern Italian, arrivare always takes essere.
Which preposition do you use with arrivare?
Use a with cities and towns (arrivo a Torino), in with countries, regions and large islands (arriviamo in Spagna, in Sardegna), and a with casa (arrivo a casa). For the place you come from, use da: arriva da Parigi.
Is arrivare a regular verb?
Yes. Arrivare follows the regular -ARE pattern in every tense, with the past participle arrivato and the gerund arrivando. The only thing that makes it different from parlare or lavorare is the auxiliary essere.
What does ci sei arrivato mean?
It means “have you figured it out?” or “do you get it?” Arrivarci is colloquial for understanding something, often after some effort. Non ci arrivo can mean “I don't get it” or, literally, “I can't reach it.”