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"Arrive" is an intransitive verb which is often translated as "llegar", and "get to" is a transitive verb phrase which is often translated as "llegar a". Learn more about the difference between "arrive" and "get to" below.
arrive(
uh
-
rayv
)
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
intransitive verb
a. llegar
I arrived at her house, and she was not there.Llegué a su casa y ella no estaba allí.
a. triunfar
She felt that she had arrived when she hired her first employee.Sintió que había triunfado cuando contrató a su primer empleado.
b. alcanzar el éxito
If you keep working hard, you will arrive.Si sigues trabajando duro, alcanzarás el éxito.
a. llegar
After several hours of labor, the baby arrived.Tras varias horas de parto, el bebé llegó.
b. nacer
The baby arrived before they reached the hospital.El bebé nació antes de que llegaran al hospital.
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get to(
giht
 
tu
)
A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g., take out the trash.).
transitive verb phrase
a. llegar a
Call me when you get to the house.Llámame cuando llegues a la casa.
b. acceder a
It's a beautiful cove, but very difficult to get to.Es una cala bonita, pero es difícil acceder a ella.
a. tener la oportunidad de
I get to go to a Christmas concert tomorrow.Mañana tengo la oportunidad de ir a un concierto navideño.
a. molestar
Hey, don't let them get to you. You're incredible.Oye, no dejes que te molesten. Eres increíble.
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
Can you clean the windows? - I don't know if I'm going to be able to get to that today.¿Puedes limpiar los vidrios? - No sé si voy a llegar a eso hoy.
Weren't you going to mow the lawn today? - I'll get to it in a minute.¿No ibas a cortar el césped hoy? - Lo hago dentro de poco.
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