llegar

Llegar is a Spanish verb in its infinitive form meaning to arrive or to reach, either physically at a location or figuratively at a state or conclusion. It is a common verb across dialects and registers and appears in a wide range of constructions.

Etymology and cognates: The precise origin of llegar is not completely settled. It appears in medieval Spanish and is related to similar verbs in other Romance languages, such as Portuguese chegar, which also means to arrive. The common sense of reaching a destination or a result is shared across these languages.

Usage and meanings: In its intransitive use, llegar describes arriving at a place: “Llegamos a la estación a las ocho.” It can also be used with phrases to indicate attainment of a result: “llegar a un acuerdo,” “llegar a ser famoso,” or “llegar tarde.” The expression “llegar a” often introduces a progression or consequence, sometimes equivalent to “to end up” or “to come to.”

Conjugation: Llegar is a regular -ar verb with typical Spanish conjugation, plus a spelling change in the preterite first-person singular to maintain the hard g before e: llegué. Present tense forms include llego, llegas, llega, llegamos, llegáis, llegan; preterite includes llegué, llegaste, llegó, llegamos, llegasteis, llegaron; imperfect includes llegaba, llegabas, llegaba, llegábamos, llegabais, llegaban; future: llegaré, llegarás, llegará, llegaremos, llegaréis, llegarán; subjunctive: llegue, llegues, llegue, lleguemos, lleguéis, lleguen; imperative forms are llega, llegue, llegad, lleguen, with negative forms no llegues, no llegue, no lleguéis, no lleguen.

Pronunciation: Generally pronounced as [ʝeˈɣaɹ] or [ʎeˈɣaɹ], with variation by dialect.