Using the Spanish Verb Llegar

Although llegar typically is translated as to arrive, it has a wider range of uses than does the English word and is often used figuratively. To come is also a common translation. Keep in Mind Llegar usually carries the idea of arriving at a destination, either literally or figuratively.Llegar a followed by ser or another infinitive carries the idea of arrival at a goal or situation unexpectedly or after considerable effort.In terms of pronunciation, llegar is conjugated regularly, although sometimes its spelling changes to accommodate the ending. Using Llegar for Arriving In its most common usage, llegar refers to arrival at a place. The destination is frequently preceded by the preposition a, and de can be used to indicate the origin: Por fin llegamos a Madrid. (We finally arrived at Madrid.)Cuando llego a casa hago mis tareas. (When I get home Ill do my homework.)Llegaron a Mà ©xico los cuerpos de estudiantes muertos en Ecuador. (The bodies of the students killed in Ecuador arrived in Mexico.)Llegaron de diferentes partes de Espaà ±a. (They came from different parts of Spain.)Hay miles de refugiados que llegan de à frica. (There are thousands of refugees who are arriving from Africa.) As can the English word arrive, llegar can also refer to the coming of a time: Llegà ³ la hora de la verdad. (The moment of truth is here. Literally, the time of truth came.)Ya llega la primavera. (Spring is already here. Literally, spring already arrived.) Using Llegar for Reaching a Goal Llegar can often refer to the reaching of a goal, physical or otherwise: Los tres mexicanos llegaron a la cima del Everest. (The three Mexicans reached the summit of Everest.)El museo llegà ³ a las 100.000 visitas en menos de un aà ±o. (The museum reached 100,000 visits in less than a year.)Microsoft y Marvel llegaron a un acuerdo para distribuir los videojuegos. (Microsoft and Marvel reached an agreement for distributing video games.)No puedo llegar a fin de mes. (I cant make it to the end of the month.) The phrase llegar a ser typically suggests a long or difficult period of change to become something: Nunca lleguà © a ser doctor. (I never became a doctor.)Diez de estas tribus llegaron a ser la Europa moderna. (Ten of these tribes became modern Europe.) ¿Cà ³mo fue que los computadores llegaron a ser parte de nuestra sociedad? (How was it that computers came to be a part of our society?) Llegar With Infinitives When llegar a is followed by an infinitive, it is often the equivalent of the English to come to. It often carries the connotation that the activity is extreme, unusual, or unexpected. Note how a variety of translations can be used: Algunos seguidores del candidato llegaron a llorar mientras escuchaban a su là ­der. (Some of the candidates followers even cried while listening to their leader.)Los Leones nunca llegaron a ganar un campeonato. (The Lions never came to win a championship.)Llegà ³ a decirme que mi pequeà ±a era mocosa. (He went so far as to tell me that my little one was a brat.)Lleguà © a comprender lo que querà ­a decir. (I even came to understand what he wanted to say.) Idioms Using Llegar Llegar is used in a variety of idioms and set phrases. Here are some examples: La secuela no llega a la suela del zapato al original. (The sequel doesnt hold a candle to the original.)Las negociaciones entre el equipo y Gustavo Torres llegaron a buen puerto. (The negotiations between the team and Gustavo Torres reached a satisfactory conclusion.)La empresa que no construya confianza no llegarà ¡ lejos. (The business that doesnt build confidence wont get far.)El cantante llegà ³ y besà ³ el santo con su cancià ³n Silencio. (The singer had success on his first try with his song Silencio.)Afortunadamente no llegà ³ la sangre al rà ­o, gracias a la rà ¡pida reaccià ³n de mis amigos. (Fortunately, there were no serious consequences, thanks to the quick reaction of my friends.)Despuà ©s de insultarse, llegaron a las manos. (After insulting each other, they came to blows.) Conjugating Llegar Llegar is conjugated regularly in terms of punctuation, but not in terms of spelling. The final g needs to be changed to gu when followed by an e. This occurs in the first-person indicative preterite (lleguà ©, I arrived) and in the subjunctive and imperative moods. In this way it follows the pattern of pagar.