ESEN
Which one to use?Beginnerverbverb
ReachvsArrive
"Reach" arrives at a place with a direct object; "arrive" arrives with a preposition (at, in) but no direct object.
Side-by-side comparison
Reach
verb"Reach" takes a direct object without a preposition: you describe arriving at a specific point. "We reached the top" needs no "at" or "to".
We reached the summit after six hours of climbing.
Call me when you reach the hotel.
The package finally reached its destination.
Arrive
verb"Arrive" needs a preposition: "arrive at" for specific small places, "arrive in" for cities or countries. It never takes a direct object alone.
She arrived at the airport two hours before her flight.
They arrived in Paris on a rainy Tuesday morning.
What time did you arrive?
Common mistake
"I arrived to the station" is wrong: "arrive" does not take "to." Correct: "I arrived at the station." And "I reached to the station" is wrong: "reach" needs no preposition. Correct: "I reached the station."
Trick to remember it
REACH = you reach the place directly, no preposition (reach + place). ARRIVE = you arrive with a preposition: "at" for specific places, "in" for cities or countries. Never: "arrive to."
Quick rule
- •"Reach + place" (no preposition).
- •"Arrive + at/in + place" (never "arrive to").
Did you know?
"Get to" is the most frequent informal synonym of both: "What time did you get to the office?" It works like REACH (direct object, no special preposition) but in a more colloquial register. "Get to" replaces both "reach" and "arrive at" in everyday speech. Interestingly, even "get to" can express arriving at a conclusion: "eventually they got to an agreement", same as "they reached an agreement." The difference between REACH and ARRIVE also reflects the type of arrival: REACH emphasizes having attained something (often with effort); ARRIVE emphasizes being at the destination.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
We _____ the hotel just before midnight. The staff were still at reception.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She _____ at the station twenty minutes early. She had plenty of time.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
BringvsTake
One moves something toward you, the other moves it away from you.
ComevsGo
One moves toward the speaker, the other moves away from the speaker.
AbovevsOver
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
ActuallyvsReally
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy