Arrive past tense
Meaning of arrive
to reach a place at the end of a journey or a stage in a journey.
Infinitive
- 1. The train arrives at the station every morning at 8 AM.
- 2. She always arrives early to secure a good seat.
- 3. On weekends, the mail usually arrives around noon.
Past Simple
- 1. She arrived at the party just in time to see the cake being cut.
- 2. They arrived home late after a long drive from the countryside.
- 3. After a long flight, he finally arrived in Tokyo to start his new job.
Past Participle
- 1. The plane had already arrived by the time we got to the airport.
- 2. The letter was arrived at by a surprisingly simple conclusion.
- 3. The refugees had arrived at the border by sunrise, seeking asylum.
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Bare infinitive
- General truths or facts.Example. The train arrives at 6.00 PM every day.Example. She always arrives early to catch up on emails.Example. The conference arrives in town next month.
- Regular habits or routines.Example. The train arrives at 6.00 PM every day.Example. She always arrives early to catch up on emails.Example. The conference arrives in town next month.
- Fixed arrangements in the near future (often found in timetables or schedules).Example. The train arrives at 6.00 PM every day.Example. She always arrives early to catch up on emails.Example. The conference arrives in town next month.
Past Simple
- Completed actions at a specific time in the past.Example. He arrived late last night.Example. She arrived at the airport, checked in her luggage, and boarded the plane.Example. We always arrived early to get good seats.
- Actions in a sequence in the past.Example. He arrived late last night.Example. She arrived at the airport, checked in her luggage, and boarded the plane.Example. We always arrived early to get good seats.
- Past habits or states.Example. He arrived late last night.Example. She arrived at the airport, checked in her luggage, and boarded the plane.Example. We always arrived early to get good seats.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect).Example. Present Perfect. Have you ever arrived late for an interview?Example. Past Perfect. She had already arrived when we got to the party.Example. Future Perfect. By next year, he will have arrived in at least 10 different countries.Example. The guests have been arrived at the venue by the coordinators.
- Passive voice constructions.Example. Present Perfect. Have you ever arrived late for an interview?Example. Past Perfect. She had already arrived when we got to the party.Example. Future Perfect. By next year, he will have arrived in at least 10 different countries.Example. The guests have been arrived at the venue by the coordinators.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
One of the most common mistakes is confusing the simple past form of 'arrive' (arrived) with its past participle form (also arrived). While both forms are identical for regular verbs like 'arrive,' their usage differs significantly. The simple past is used to denote actions that were completed in the past, e.g., 'He arrived late last night.' The past participle, however, is mainly used in perfect tenses and passive voice, e.g., 'He has arrived at the station' (present perfect) or 'The guests had already arrived when the ceremony started' (past perfect).
— 02
Incorrect Past Participle
Another mistake involves Incorrect Past Participle of 'arrive' by adding an extra -ed, turning it into 'arriveded,' or altering it in other ways. This mistake stems from misunderstanding regular verb conjugation rules, where the simple past and past participle forms of regular verbs end in -ed. Since 'arrive' is a regular verb, its past participle is correctly formed as 'arrived.' Misforming it can cause confusion and signal a lack of language proficiency.
— 03
Overgeneralizing Patterns
Some learners mistakenly apply irregular verb patterns to 'arrive,' thinking its past forms should change more dramatically, akin to 'drive' (drove, driven) or 'write' (wrote, written). This leads to invented forms like 'arrove' or 'arriven,' which are incorrect. Understanding that 'arrive' follows the regular verb pattern, where the simple past and past participle are formed by adding -ed, is crucial to avoid this error. This mistake usually arises from overgeneralization, a common issue when learners try to apply rules from irregular verbs to regular ones.
Past tense quiz
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