French Word of the Day
arriver
/ah-ree-VAY/ • verb — 22nd of Apr, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to arrive; to happen; (with 'à') to manage or succeed in doing something
Examples
- Le train arrive à 18h.
(The train arrives at 6 p.m.) - Il arrive parfois des problèmes imprévus.
(Unexpected problems sometimes happen.) - Je n'arrive pas à terminer ce travail.
(I can't manage to finish this work.)
Synonyms
- venir
- se produire
Arriver is used for physical arrival (people, vehicles) and for events occurring (Ça arrive = it happens). With à + infinitive (arriver à + verb) it means 'to manage to' or 'to succeed in' doing something. In casual speech you will also hear the phrase 'ça arrive' to express that something unfortunate is not a big deal.
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