llegar
Lemma Details
Translation: to arrive; to reach; to come; to get to
Part of Speech: verb
Etymology: From Latin plicāre ('to fold, bend'), which evolved to *plecāre in Vulgar Latin, then to llegar in Spanish. The semantic shift from 'folding' to 'arriving' occurred through the intermediate meaning of 'approaching' or 'drawing near'. English cognates include 'ply', 'apply', and 'deploy', all sharing the root idea of bending or folding. The English word 'arrive' comes from a different Latin root (ad + ripa, 'to shore').
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 30%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Llegamos a Madrid a las ocho de la mañana.
We arrived in Madrid at eight in the morning.
¿A qué hora llegarás a la fiesta?
What time will you arrive at the party?
El tren llega con retraso.
The train is arriving late.
Nunca llegaremos a tiempo si no salimos ahora.
We'll never get there on time if we don't leave now.
Ha llegado el momento de tomar una decisión.
The time has come to make a decision.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'llegar' as 'yay-GAR' - when you arrive somewhere, you might say 'yay!'
- Associate with 'leg' - you use your legs to arrive somewhere.
- The double 'll' looks like two legs walking to arrive somewhere.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
In Spanish-speaking cultures, punctuality expectations can vary. In some countries, arriving a bit late to social gatherings is common and even expected (the concept of 'hora latina' or 'Latin time'). However, for business meetings, punctuality is generally valued.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'llegar' means 'to arrive', 'llevar' means 'to carry' or 'to take'. They look similar but have completely different meanings.
Notes: Both are regular -ar verbs but with different meanings in the travel context.
Mnemonic: 'Llegar' ends with 'ar' like 'arrive', while 'llevar' contains 'ev' like in 'elevate' (to lift or carry up).
Explanation: 'Llegar' (to arrive) has a double 'll' while 'legar' (to bequeath) has a single 'l'. The pronunciation is also different.
Confused word:
Decidió legar toda su fortuna a la caridad.
He decided to bequeath his entire fortune to charity.
Notes: The double 'll' in Spanish is pronounced like a 'y' in English.
Mnemonic: 'Legar' (with one 'l') is about leaving something behind, while 'llegar' (with two 'l's) is about coming to a place.