Difference between: arrive, come, get and reach
When learning English, questions often arise about the usage of verbs with similar meanings, such as “arrive”, “come”, “get”, and “reach”. While these words may seem alike, they have their own nuances and usage peculiarities. In this article, we’ll examine the meaning of each and their differences. Review the table below to understand the general distinctions between them.
| Verb | Meaning | Usage | Examples |
| Arrive | To reach a destination | Used in formal contexts; with prepositions “at” and “in” | We arrived at the airport on time. |
| Come | To move towards or approach | Used with prepositions “to”, “into”, “from”; without preposition in the phrase “come home” | Can you come to my house tonight? |
| Get | To reach or arrive at a place | Used in everyday situations; with preposition “to” or without it with “here”, “there”, “home” | How did you get to the station? |
| Reach | To arrive at a destination or achieve a goal | Used without prepositions; with object pronouns | We reached the top of the mountain after a long hike. |
To understand the difference: Arrive: Reach a destination (formal). Come: Move towards speaker/point (expected). Get: Reach a place (informal, versatile). Reach: Attain destination/goal (implies effort).
Let’s examine each word and their differences in more detail.
Arrive
The verb “arrive” in English means to reach a destination or come to the end of a journey. It’s used to describe the moment when someone or something reaches a specific place, and is typically used in more formal contexts than its synonyms like “come” or “get”.
Meaning
“Arrive” signifies reaching a destination. It’s used when we get to a place we planned to reach, often in the context of transportation or travel.
Usage
“Arrive” is used with prepositions “at” or “in” depending on the place:
- “Arrive at” is used for smaller places like buildings, shops, airports. Example: We arrived at the airport at 8 p.m.
- “Arrive in” is used for larger places like cities, countries. Example: They arrived in New York last night.
- When talking about arriving home, no preposition is used. Example: I arrived home late last night.
- To indicate the place of departure, the preposition “from” is used. Example: He arrived from Paris this morning.
Formality
“Arrive” is often used in formal contexts or official communications. For example, in business correspondence or when describing travels.
Examples:
- The train will arrive at platform 6 in ten minutes.
- We are pleased to announce that the delegation has arrived safely.
Tenses
“Arrive” can be used in all tenses. Here are a few examples:
- Present Simple: I usually arrive at work by 9 a.m.
- Past Simple: She arrived in Paris yesterday.
- Future Simple: They will arrive at the station soon.
- Present Perfect: We have just arrived at the hotel.
Figurative Meanings
“Arrive” can also have figurative meanings used in certain phrases:
- Arrive at a decision Example: After hours of discussion, we finally arrived at a decision.
- Arrive at a conclusion Example: The scientists arrived at a conclusion after conducting several experiments.
- Arrive at an understanding Example: They arrived at an understanding regarding the new project.
- Arrive at the age of … Example: She arrived at the age of 21 last month.
- At last the hour arrived Example: At last the hour arrived for the long-awaited concert.
- Arrive at a price Example: The buyer and seller arrived at a price after lengthy negotiations.
- Arrive at a common view Example: The committee arrived at a common view on the issue.
Differences from Other Verbs
- Arrive vs. Come: “Come” is used when the speaker is talking about moving towards where they are or where they’re invited, while “arrive” emphasizes the fact of reaching the destination. Examples: Can you come to my house? They arrived at my house at noon.
- Arrive vs. Get: “Get” is an informal way to talk about arriving, while “arrive” is more formal. Examples: We got to the park early. We arrived at the park early.
- Arrive vs. Reach: “Reach” focuses on the process of getting to a place, often implying that the distance was long or there were difficulties, while “arrive” focuses on the fact of getting there. Examples: We finally reached the top of the mountain. We arrived at the top of the mountain.
Come
The verb “come” in English means to move towards or arrive at a place. It’s a versatile word that can be used in many different contexts, both formal and informal.
Meaning
“Come” signifies moving to where someone or something is, or in the direction of the speaker or the center of attention.
Usage
“Come” is used to indicate movement towards the place where the speaker or the addressee is located. This verb is often used with prepositions “to”, “into”, “from”. An exception is the phrase “come home”, where no preposition is used.
- Arriving at the place where the speaker or addressee is:
- Example: Can you come to my house tonight?
- Movement towards a specific place or event:
- Example: Are you coming to the party?
- Movement in time (seasons, events):
- Example: Spring is coming soon.
Prepositions
“Come” can be used with various prepositions, depending on the context:
- Come to – arrive at some place.
- Example: Can you come to my office?
- Come from – indicates place of departure or origin.
- Example: She comes from Canada.
- Come into – enter or join.
- Example: He came into the room quietly.
- Come home – arrive at home (no preposition used).
- Example: I will come home early tonight.
- Come with – indicates accompaniment.
- Example: Would you like to come with me?
- Come back – return.
- Example: When will you come back?
- Come in – enter.
- Example: Please, come in.
Tenses
“Come” can be used in all tenses. Here are a few examples:
- Present Simple: She comes to work by bus every day.
- Past Simple: He came home late last night.
- Future Simple: They will come to the meeting tomorrow.
- Present Perfect: We have come to an agreement.
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs with “Come”
“Come” is also used in many idioms and phrasal verbs:
- Come up with – find a solution or idea.
- Example: She came up with a brilliant plan.
- Come across – find or meet by chance.
- Example: I came across an interesting article yesterday.
- Come out – be published or become known.
- Example: Her new book will come out next month.
- Come over – visit.
- Example: Why don’t you come over for dinner?
- Come along – join or accompany.
- Example: Do you want to come along with us?
Get
The verb “get” in English has numerous meanings, but one of its primary uses is to express “arriving” or “reaching” somewhere. It’s widely used in everyday language and is the most general of all the mentioned synonyms such as “arrive”, “come”, or “reach”.
Meaning
“Get” means to reach a destination. It’s used to indicate the process of arriving at or reaching a certain place.
Usage
“Get” is often used in everyday communication to describe arriving at or reaching a place. It’s typically used with the preposition “to”, except in certain cases.
- Arriving at a place:
- Example: How did you get to the station?
- Without the preposition “to” with words like “here”, “there”, “home”:
- Example: When did you get here?
- Example: We need to get home before it gets dark.
Prepositions
“Get” combined with various prepositions takes on different meanings, especially when indicating direction or place:
- Get to – reach a place.
- Example: I get to work by bus.
- Get from – indicates place of departure or origin.
- Example: How did you get from the airport to the hotel?
- Get into – enter or join.
- Example: She got into the car quickly.
- Get out of – exit or escape.
- Example: He got out of the building before it collapsed.
Tenses
“Get” can be used in all tenses. Here are a few examples:
- Present Simple: I get to school at 8 a.m. every day.
- Past Simple: She got home late last night.
- Future Simple: They will get to the concert on time.
- Present Perfect: We have just got to the station.
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs with “Get”
“Get” is also used in many idioms and phrasal verbs:
- Get up – rise from bed or stand up.
- Example: I usually get up at 6 a.m.
- Get along – have a good relationship.
- Example: Do you get along with your colleagues?
- Get over – recover from illness or overcome.
- Example: She got over her illness quickly.
- Get away – escape or go on vacation.
- Example: We are planning to get away for the weekend.
- Get by – manage or survive.
- Example: It’s hard to get by on a single income.
Reach
The verb “reach” in English means to “arrive at”, “get to”, or “extend to”. It’s used both literally and figuratively, especially when talking about arriving at a destination or achieving a goal after overcoming difficulties.
Meaning
“Reach” signifies arriving at a physical point or goal, and can also be used for coming to a decision or agreement after overcoming obstacles.
Usage
“Reach” is often used without prepositions. This verb can also be used with object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) to mean “contact” or “get through to” someone.
- Arriving at a physical point:
- Example: We reached the top of the mountain after a long hike.
- Coming to a decision or agreement:
- Example: They finally reached an agreement after several hours of negotiation.
- Contacting someone:
- Example: I tried to reach him on his phone, but he didn’t answer.
Prepositions
“Reach” is typically used without prepositions:
- Without preposition:
- Example: We reached the city by noon.
Tenses
“Reach” can be used in all tenses. Here are a few examples:
- Present Simple: She reaches her office at 9 a.m. every day.
- Past Simple: He reached the summit after a challenging climb.
- Future Simple: They will reach their destination by evening.
- Present Perfect: We have reached a new level of understanding.
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs with “Reach”
“Reach” is also used in many idioms and phrasal verbs:
- Reach out – extend a hand or make contact.
- Example: She reached out to her old friends.
- Reach for the stars – aspire to high goals.
- Example: You should always reach for the stars.
- Within reach – achievable or attainable.
- Example: The solution is within reach.
- Out of reach – unattainable or inaccessible.
- Example: The book was placed out of reach.
The verb “reach” is an important tool in English communication as it conveys the idea of achieving both physical and abstract goals.
Differences between “arrive”, “come”, “get”, and “reach”
All these verbs have similar meanings – they describe the process of reaching a place or destination. However, there are some differences in their context of use, nuances of meaning, and formal and informal aspects.
Arrive
- Meaning: To reach a destination.
- Usage: Used when we reach a place we planned to go to. Typically used in formal contexts and indicates the completion of a journey or process. Prepositions “at” and “in” are used to indicate the place.
- Example: We arrived at the airport on time.
- Example: She arrived in London yesterday.
Come
- Meaning: To move towards or approach.
- Usage: Used when someone is moving towards where the speaker is, or when something becomes the center of attention. Used with prepositions “to”, “into”, “from”, and without a preposition in the phrase “come home”.
- Example: Can you come to my house tonight?
- Example: He came into the room quietly.
Get
- Meaning: To reach or arrive at a place.
- Usage: Used in everyday situations and has the most general meaning among these verbs. Usually used with the preposition “to”, except with words like “here”, “there”, “home” where no preposition is used.
- Example: How did you get to the station?
- Example: When did you get here?
Reach
- Meaning: To arrive at a destination or achieve a goal.
- Usage: Used to indicate arriving at a point or achieving a goal, often after overcoming difficulties. Used without prepositions and can be used with object pronouns.
- Example: We reached the top of the mountain after a long hike.
- Example: I tried to reach him on his phone.
These distinctions help in choosing the most appropriate verb for a given context, enhancing the precision and naturalness of English communication.