The intransitive verb llegar is used to indicate movement. It translates to the verb ‘’to arrive’’ in English, and it is used in many everyday situations. It is also regularly translated as the verb ‘’to come.’’ Normally, people use it to talk about arriving to a place. It is often preceded by the prepositions a and de. The former indicates destination and the latter indicates origin.
Llegué a casa. -- I came home.
Él va llegar de la iglesia. – He is coming from church.
As any other regular ar-ending verb, llegar is not really tricky when it comes to its conjugation. Here is how it goes:
Present Tense Conjugation of Llegar
|
Yo |
llego |
Nosotros (as) |
llegamos |
|
Tú |
llegas |
Vosotros (as) |
llegáis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llega |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llegan |
Example Sentence:
Yo nunca llego tarde al trabajo. -- I am never late to work. (Llegar can also be used to indicate being late or early.)
Imperfect
|
Yo |
llegaba |
Nosotros (as) |
llegábamos |
|
Tú |
llegabas |
Vosotros (as) |
llegabais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llegaba |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llegaban |
Example Sentence:
Cuando ella llegaba a casa luego del trabajo solía ver televisión toda la noche. -- She used to watch TV all night long when she came home from work.
Preterite
|
Yo |
llegué |
Nosotros (as) |
llegamos |
|
Tú |
llegaste |
Vosotros (as) |
llegasteis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llegó |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llegaron |
Example Sentence:
Su paquete llegó hace 2 horas. -- Your package arrived two hours ago.
Future
|
Yo |
llegaré |
Nosotros (as) |
llegaremos |
|
Tú |
llegarás |
Vosotros (as) |
llegaréis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llegará |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llegarán |
Example Sentence:
Llegaré muy tarde a casa así que no me esperes despierto. --I will be home really late tonight so do not wait up.
Conditional
|
Yo |
llegaría |
Nosotros (as) |
llegaríamos |
|
Tú |
llegarías |
Vosotros (as) |
llegaríais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llegaría |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llegarían |
Example Sentence:
Tú llegarías muy lejos si te esforzaras mucho más. -- You would go really far if you worked harder.
Other Uses of Llegar
Now, you understand how llegar works, and how to conjugate it in these tenses. This verb can also be used in some other very specific ways. For instance, you can use llegar when talking about accomplishing a goal and overcoming hardship. For example:
Llegué a fin de mes. -- I made it to the end of the month. (accomplishing a goal)
Llegué a ser médico después de muchos sacrificios. -- I became a doctor after a lot of sacrifices. (overcoming hardship)
In addition, this useful verb can be found in several Spanish idiomatic expressions. For example:
Tu hermana no me llega ni a la suela del zapato en la clase de francés. -- Your sister doesn’t hold a candle to me in our French class.
Ellos van a llegar a las manos si siguen discutiendo de esa forma. -- If they keep arguing like that, they are going to come to blows.
Start Using Llegar
Llegar can be used in a variety of situations where movement and transformation are involved. Remember, its conjugation follows the same rules as most ar-ending verbs. Luckily, if you need to be or arrive at a certain place in the near future, llegar will help you get there on time.