Prepositions · CEFR A2
“Arrive to”, “arrive at” or “arrive in”?
Incorrect
arrive to
Correct
arrive at / arrive in
Use “arrive in” for cities and countries and “arrive at” for buildings, events and specific points. “Arrive to” is incorrect: “We arrived in Madrid”, “We arrived at the station.”
The rule
arrive in + large area: arrive in London, arrive in Japan.
arrive at + specific place or event: arrive at the airport, arrive at work, arrive at the meeting.
No preposition with home, here, there: arrive home, arrive here.
Compare with go to and get to, which do use to: “We got to the hotel at eight.”
Examples
✗ We arrived to Paris at noon.
✓ We arrived in Paris at noon.
✗ I arrived to the office late.
✓ I arrived at the office late.
✗ She arrived to home at 6.
✓ She arrived home at 6.
Why learners make this mistake
Arrive is a movement verb, and most movement verbs in English (go to, come to, travel to) take “to”, so learners generalise.
Remember
Go TO somewhere, but once you arrive you are IN or AT it.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I say “get to”?
- Yes. “Get to” uses to and is very natural in speech: “What time did you get to the airport?”
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