Arriver is likely the first word you learned when wanting to say “to arrive” in French. And it’s certainly the most common and versatile way to express this idea. But did you know there are several other options?

Knowing different ways to say “to arrive” can help you convey more precise meanings, sound more natural in various contexts, and enrich your French vocabulary. Whether you’re talking about a train pulling into a station, a guest showing up at a party, or an idea finally clicking, French offers a nuanced way to express it.

Let’s explore 9 different ways to say “to arrive” in French, so you can choose the perfect word for any situation!

The standard 'to arrive' – arriver

The standard 'to arrive' – arriver

Arriver is the most common and versatile verb for 'to arrive' in French, signifying the act of reaching a destination or the occurrence of an event.

Arriver is a verb that uses the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses (like the passé composé). This means its past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, je suis arrivé(e) (I arrived), nous sommes arrivés(es) (we arrived).

Its primary use is to describe the physical act of reaching a place. This could be arriving at a location, an event, a meeting, or even a specific moment in time.

Arriver can also mean 'to happen' or 'to occur,' especially when referring to an event or situation. In this sense, it's frequently used impersonally with il (it), as in il arrive que... (it happens that...).

When followed by the preposition à and an infinitive verb (arriver à faire quelque chose), it means 'to manage to do something' or 'to succeed in doing something,' implying effort or difficulty overcome.

When indicating arrival at a place, arriver is often followed by prepositions like à (for cities, specific addresses, or general locations) or en (for countries, feminine regions, or modes of transport). For instance, arriver à Paris, arriver à la gare, arriver en France, arriver en train.

While arriver is a general term for 'to arrive,' remember that other verbs like venir (to come) or rentrer (to return home) carry more specific nuances of direction or origin. Arriver simply focuses on the endpoint.

The precise meaning of arriver often depends heavily on the context. Pay close attention to the subject, any accompanying prepositions, and the overall situation to understand its intended sense.

💡 *Nous sommes arrivés à l'aéroport à l'heure. (We arrived at the airport on time.)
*Qu'est-ce qui t'arrive ? (What's happening to you? / What's wrong with you?)
*Elle est arrivée en France il y a deux ans. (She arrived in France two years ago.)
*J'espère arriver à finir ce projet avant la date limite. (I hope to manage to finish this project before the deadline.)
*Le train n'est pas encore arrivé. (The train hasn't arrived yet.)

To reach a destination or goal – atteindre

The verb atteindre is a key French verb that translates to 'to reach' or 'to attain'.

It encompasses both the physical act of arriving at a location and the figurative accomplishment of a goal, level, or state.

In a literal sense, atteindre is used when you successfully arrive at a physical destination, often implying some journey or effort to get there.

More broadly, atteindre is crucial for expressing the achievement of objectives, targets, a specific age, or a certain level of success or understanding.

Atteindre is a transitive verb, meaning it directly takes an object. You atteindre (reach) quelque chose (something), without a preposition like 'à' or 'de'.

Its past participle is atteint (masculine singular), and it conjugates with avoir in compound tenses (e.g., j'ai atteint).

💡 * Il a atteint le sommet de la montagne. (He reached the summit of the mountain.)

• Nous devons atteindre nos objectifs avant la fin de l'année. (We must reach our goals before the end of the year.)
• Elle a atteint l'âge de la majorité. (She reached the age of majority.)
• Le bruit a atteint mes oreilles. (The noise reached my ears.)
• J'espère atteindre un bon niveau de français. (I hope to reach a good level of French.)

To come to a place – venir

Venir is a fundamental French verb that translates most commonly to 'to come' or 'to arrive' in English. It's used when someone or something is moving towards a particular location, often the speaker's current location or a place previously mentioned.

As a highly frequent verb, venir is irregular, meaning its conjugation doesn't follow the standard -er, -ir, or -re patterns. Learning its conjugations across different tenses is crucial for fluent communication.

When indicating the origin or destination of coming, venir often pairs with prepositions. Use venir de (+ country/city) to say 'to come from' and venir à (+ city/place) or venir en (+ feminine country/vowel-starting masculine country) to say 'to come to'.

Similar to English, venir can be followed by de and an infinitive verb to express 'to have just done something' (e.g., Je viens de manger - I have just eaten). It can also be used with pour + infinitive to mean 'to come in order to do something'.

It's important to distinguish venir from aller ('to go'). Venir implies movement towards the speaker or a designated point, while aller implies movement away from the speaker or the current location. Think of venir as 'come here' and aller as 'go there'.

Beyond its literal meaning, venir appears in many idiomatic expressions. For instance, venir de loin means 'to come a long way' (literally or figuratively), and faire venir means 'to send for' or 'to have someone come'.

💡 * Je viens de Paris. (I come from Paris.)

• Tu viens à ma fête ce soir ? (Are you coming to my party tonight?)
• Nous venons de manger. (We have just eaten.)
• Ils viennent nous voir demain. (They are coming to see us tomorrow.)
• Elle vient pour apprendre le français. (She is coming to learn French.)

To reach a place, often with effort or difficulty – parvenir

The verb parvenir translates to "to reach," "to arrive at," or "to succeed in getting to" a place or outcome.

Unlike simply arriver (to arrive), parvenir often implies that reaching the destination or goal required some effort, struggle, or persistence.

When parvenir is followed by a place or a goal, it is typically used with the preposition à (to/at). For example, parvenir à un endroit (to reach a place) or parvenir à un but (to achieve a goal).

Parvenir is a more formal verb than arriver and can be used for both physical destinations and abstract achievements, emphasizing the successful attainment despite obstacles.

💡 * Nous avons enfin pu parvenir au sommet de la montagne. (We finally managed to reach the summit of the mountain.)

• Elle est parvenue à ses fins après beaucoup de travail. (She succeeded in achieving her goals after a lot of work.)
• Le message n'est pas parvenu à son destinataire. (The message did not reach its recipient.)
• Comment avez-vous pu parvenir à un tel résultat ? (How were you able to achieve such a result?)
• Il a fallu des heures pour parvenir à un accord. (It took hours to reach an agreement.)

To disembark or land, often suddenly – débarquer

The French verb débarquer means 'to disembark' or 'to land,' but it often carries the nuance of arriving suddenly or unexpectedly.

At its most literal, débarquer describes the action of getting off a ship, a plane, or any other mode of transport, essentially 'landing' or 'disembarking' from a journey.

Beyond its nautical or aerial origins, débarquer is very commonly used in an informal, figurative sense to mean 'to arrive out of the blue,' 'to show up unexpectedly,' or even 'to burst in'.

This unexpected arrival often implies a lack of prior notice or even a slight disruption. It can suggest someone arriving without being invited or prepared for, sometimes even implying a certain clumsiness or being out of place.

You'll frequently hear débarquer in everyday conversations when referring to friends or family showing up unannounced, or even when describing a new person or idea suddenly appearing in a situation.

Remember débarquer for both literal disembarking and, more colorfully, for those moments when someone (or something) just appears without warning, adding a touch of surprise to your French.

💡 * Les passagers ont débarqué du ferry à 10h. (The passengers disembarked from the ferry at 10 AM.)

• Elle a débarqué chez moi sans prévenir ce matin. (She showed up at my place without warning this morning.)
• On ne peut pas débarquer dans un nouveau pays et tout changer du jour au lendemain. (You can't land in a new country and change everything overnight.)
• Qui est ce type qui vient de débarquer dans la conversation? (Who is this guy who just popped into the conversation?)

To appear suddenly or emerge – surgir

The French verb surgir translates most closely to "to appear suddenly," "to emerge," or "to spring up." It conveys the idea of something coming into view or existence quickly and often unexpectedly.

You'll often use surgir when describing a physical entity – a person, an animal, or an object – that suddenly comes into sight. It implies a rapid, sometimes startling, appearance from a hidden or unobserved state.

Beyond physical appearances, surgir is also used metaphorically for abstract concepts. Problems, opportunities, questions, or ideas can "surgir," meaning they suddenly arise, manifest, or come to the forefront.

The core essence of surgir is its emphasis on suddenness. It differentiates itself from verbs like apparaître (to appear) by strongly implying an abrupt, quick, or unforeseen emergence, adding a dramatic or impactful nuance to the action.

It's crucial to remember that surgir is conjugated with the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses (like the passé composé). For instance, "it appeared suddenly" would be il est surgi (not il a surgi).

💡 * Un lapin a surgi des buissons. (A rabbit sprang out of the bushes.)

• Un problème inattendu est surgi lors de la réunion. (An unexpected problem arose during the meeting.)
• Une idée lumineuse a surgi dans son esprit. (A brilliant idea emerged in his mind.)
• Le soleil est surgi derrière les montagnes. (The sun emerged from behind the mountains.)
• De nulle part, un homme est surgi devant nous. (From nowhere, a man appeared in front of us.)

To show up or appear (informal) – pointer

The verb pointer is commonly used in an informal context to mean 'to show up' or 'to appear'.

When you use pointer this way, you're often referring to someone or something making an appearance, sometimes unexpectedly or simply noting their arrival in a casual manner. It's less formal than arriver or apparaître.

A very common idiomatic expression is pointer le bout de son nez (literally 'to point the tip of one's nose'), which means to finally show up or make an appearance. While pointer can also mean 'to point' or 'to clock in/out', its informal use for 'showing up' is distinct.

💡 * Il a pointé à la fête sans être invité. (He showed up at the party without being invited.)

• Elle a pointé au travail avec une heure de retard. (She showed up to work an hour late.)
• On attend qu'il pointe pour commencer la réunion. (We're waiting for him to show up to start the meeting.)
• Le soleil a enfin pointé après la pluie. (The sun finally appeared after the rain.)
• Ne t'inquiète pas, il va pointer à l'heure. (Don't worry, he'll show up on time.)

To burst in or arrive quickly (informal) – débouler

The verb débouler is a colorful and informal way to describe a sudden, often rapid arrival or entry. It conveys a sense of 'bursting in' or 'showing up quickly and unexpectedly'.

Débouler translates to 'to burst in,' 'to show up suddenly,' or 'to arrive quickly.' It's typically used for people making an unexpected or hasty appearance, or for objects like vehicles speeding into view.

Keep in mind that débouler is distinctly informal. You'll frequently encounter it in casual conversation, reflecting a spontaneous or unannounced arrival, adding a dynamic flair to your French.

💡 * Il a déboulé dans la pièce, tout excité. (He burst into the room, all excited.)

• La voiture a déboulé du virage à toute vitesse. (The car shot out of the bend at full speed.)
• D'un coup, mes amis ont déboulé à l'improviste. (Suddenly, my friends showed up unannounced.)
• Quand j'ai ouvert la porte, mon chien a déboulé dehors. (When I opened the door, my dog bolted outside.)

To access or reach (a place, often formally) – accéder

The French verb accéder primarily means to access or to reach a place or information. It often implies gaining entry or having the right to approach something.

Accéder is a transitive indirect verb, meaning it is always followed by the preposition à (or its contracted forms au, aux, à la) before the object. You access to something, not just access something directly.

This verb carries a more formal tone compared to simply aller à (to go to) or atteindre (to reach). It's commonly used in administrative, legal, technical, or official contexts, such as accessing data, a building, or a right.

When talking about digital resources, files, or information, accéder à is the go-to verb. For example, accéder à un site web (to access a website) or accéder à des données (to access data).

For physical locations, it implies a restricted or formal entry: accéder à un bâtiment sécurisé (to access a secure building). It can also refer to gaining rights or status: accéder à un poste de responsabilité (to accede to a position of responsibility).

💡 * Les utilisateurs peuvent accéder à leurs fichiers depuis n'importe quel appareil. (Users can access their files from any device.)

• Il est interdit d'accéder au laboratoire sans autorisation. (It is forbidden to access the laboratory without authorization.)
• Comment puis-je accéder à mon compte en ligne ? (How can I access my online account?)
• Le président a accédé au pouvoir après les élections. (The president acceded to power after the elections.)
• La nouvelle route permet d'accéder plus facilement à la côte. (The new road allows easier access to the coast.)

Are there other ways to say 'to arrive' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'to arrive' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to arrive' in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for 'comment dire arriver en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for arriver on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about arriving.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different nuances of arriving, or words about journeys and destinations in French, the WordReference entry for arriver is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is the perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of Lao Tzu: Un voyage de mille lieues commence par un seul pas. (A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.)