Arrive in, at or to?
ISE I Trinity Subject Area: Travel
A typical mistake made by students is using the preposition “to” with the verb “arrive”.
For example: “We arrived to Madrid”.
The preposition “to” can never follow the verb “arrive” because it is a preposition of movement and the verb is not.
Instead of “to”, we can use “at” or “in”.
What is the difference between “arrive to” and “arrive in“?
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We use “at” when we get to a small place such as a station, airport or village.
Ex.: The pupils arrived at school quite late.
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We use “in” when we get to a large place such as a country or a city.
Ex.: The Normans arrived in Britain in the 11th century.
Sometimes it’s not so easy and you can find examples like:
They arrived at Bristol
As Bristolis a big town, “in” should have been used, but “at” is correct because we actually mean arrive at Bristolstation or airport!
More on ISE I Trinity Subject Area: Travel:
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