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French · Verb · #51 most common

arriver

to arrive
to happen

Regular1st ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jearrive
tuarrives
il/ellearrive
nousarrivons
vousarrivez
ils/ellesarrivent

Je n'arrive pas à trouver mes clés.

I can't find my keys.

Ils arrivent toujours à l'heure.

They always arrive on time.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jesuis arrivé(e)
tues arrivé(e)
il/elleest arrivé(e)
noussommes arrivé(e)s
vousêtes arrivé(e)(s)
ils/ellessont arrivé(e)s

Elle est arrivée en retard hier.

She arrived late yesterday.

Nous sommes arrivés à Paris ce matin.

We arrived in Paris this morning.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jearrivais
tuarrivais
il/ellearrivait
nousarrivions
vousarriviez
ils/ellesarrivaient

Quand j'étais jeune, j'arrivais souvent en avance.

When I was young, I often arrived early.

Ils arrivaient toujours ensemble à l'école.

They always arrived together at school.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jearriverai
tuarriveras
il/ellearrivera
nousarriverons
vousarriverez
ils/ellesarriveront

Demain, je vais arriver à midi.

Tomorrow, I will arrive at noon.

Nous arriverons avant le dîner.

We will arrive before dinner.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jearriverais
tuarriverais
il/ellearriverait
nousarriverions
vousarriveriez
ils/ellesarriveraient

Je voudrais arriver à temps pour la réunion.

I would like to arrive on time for the meeting.

Si tu pouvais, tu arriverais plus tôt.

If you could, you would arrive earlier.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jearrive
tuarrives
il/ellearrive
nousarrivions
vousarriviez
ils/ellesarrivent

Il faut que tu arrives avant la fin du film.

You need to arrive before the end of the movie.

Je souhaite qu'il arrive sain et sauf.

I hope he arrives safe and sound.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeétais arrivé(e)
tuétais arrivé(e)
il/elleétait arrivé(e)
nousétions arrivé(e)s
vousétiez arrivé(e)(s)
ils/ellesétaient arrivé(e)s

Elle avait déjà arrivé quand je suis parti.

She had already arrived when I left.

Nous avions pensé qu'ils seraient arrivés plus tôt.

We had thought that they would have arrived earlier.

"arriver" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "arriver" regular or irregular in French?
"arriver" is a regular 1st verb in French. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for 1st verbs.
How do you conjugate "arriver" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "arriver" conjugates as: arrive, arrives, arrivons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "arriver" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "arriver" conjugates as: suis arrivé(e), es arrivé(e), sommes arrivé(e)s, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "arriver" in French?
"arriver" (to arrive, to happen) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.