---
title: "Arriver conjugation: all tenses with examples"
description: "Arriver in every French tense: j'arrive, je suis arrivé(e), j'arriverai, que j'arrive. Full tables, examples and TCF/TEF Canada tips."
canonical: https://francaisprep.com/french-conjugation/arriver
---

French conjugation

# Arriver conjugation

Arriver (“to arrive, to happen”) in every tense you need, from the présent to the subjonctif, with example sentences and how it shows up in the TCF and TEF Canada.

[Take the free level test](/tools/french-level-test)[See the tables](#tables)

-   Every tense on one page
-   Tables generated from an open French lexicon
-   Notes for TCF and TEF candidates

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In short

Arriver (“to arrive, to happen”) is an -er verb of the first group. In the présent: j'arrive, tu arrives, il/elle arrive, nous arrivons, vous arrivez, ils/elles arrivent. Its passé composé is formed with être and the past participle arrivé, and its futur simple is built on the stem arriver-.

## Arriver at a glance

Meaning

to arrive, to happen

Type

\-er verb (first group)

Auxiliary

être

Past participle

arrivé

Present participle

arrivant

Future stem

arriver-

## Arriver in every tense

### Présent

Present

-   j'arrive
-   tu arrives
-   il/elle arrive
-   nous arrivons
-   vous arrivez
-   ils/elles arrivent

[When to use the présent](/blog/french-verb-tenses-for-tcf-tef)

### Passé composé

Compound past

-   je suis arrivé(e)
-   tu es arrivé(e)
-   il/elle est arrivé(e)
-   nous sommes arrivé(e)s
-   vous êtes arrivé(e)(s)
-   ils/elles sont arrivé(e)s

[When to use the passé composé](/blog/passe-compose-vs-imparfait)

### Imparfait

Imperfect

-   j'arrivais
-   tu arrivais
-   il/elle arrivait
-   nous arrivions
-   vous arriviez
-   ils/elles arrivaient

[When to use the imparfait](/blog/passe-compose-vs-imparfait)

### Futur simple

Simple future

-   j'arriverai
-   tu arriveras
-   il/elle arrivera
-   nous arriverons
-   vous arriverez
-   ils/elles arriveront

[When to use the futur simple](/blog/french-verb-tenses-for-tcf-tef)

### Conditionnel présent

Present conditional

-   j'arriverais
-   tu arriverais
-   il/elle arriverait
-   nous arriverions
-   vous arriveriez
-   ils/elles arriveraient

[When to use the conditionnel présent](/blog/french-verb-tenses-for-tcf-tef)

### Subjonctif présent

Present subjunctive

-   que j'arrive
-   que tu arrives
-   qu'il/elle arrive
-   que nous arrivions
-   que vous arriviez
-   qu'ils/elles arrivent

[When to use the subjonctif présent](/blog/le-subjonctif)

### Impératif

Imperative

-   arrive
-   arrivons
-   arrivez

### Passé simple (literary)

Simple past, used in written narrative

-   j'arrivai
-   tu arrivas
-   il/elle arriva
-   nous arrivâmes
-   vous arrivâtes
-   ils/elles arrivèrent

### Participles

Present and past participles

-   Present participle: arrivant
-   Past participle: arrivé, arrivée, arrivés, arrivées

TCF and TEF Canada

## How arriver shows up in the TCF and TEF

Arriver takes être (je suis arrivé). « Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé ? » (what happened?) is a frequent question in listening dialogues.

-   Je suis arrivée au Canada en 2023. _I arrived in Canada in 2023._
-   Le bus arrive dans dix minutes. _The bus arrives in ten minutes._

## From conjugation tables to an exam score

Knowing the forms of arriver is the easy part. The TCF and TEF Canada mark whether you use the right tense, under time pressure, in your own sentences.

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Questions

## Arriver conjugation: questions

### How do you conjugate arriver in the present tense?

In the présent, arriver is: j'arrive, tu arrives, il/elle arrive, nous arrivons, vous arrivez, ils/elles arrivent.

### What is the passé composé of arriver?

Arriver forms the passé composé with être and the past participle arrivé: je suis arrivé(e), tu es arrivé(e), il/elle est arrivé(e), nous sommes arrivé(e)s, vous êtes arrivé(e)(s), ils/elles sont arrivé(e)s.

### Is arriver conjugated with être or avoir?

Arriver takes être in the passé composé and the other compound tenses, so the past participle agrees with the subject: il/elle est arrivé(e).

### What is arriver in the futur simple?

The futur simple of arriver is built on the stem arriver-: j'arriverai, tu arriveras, il/elle arrivera, nous arriverons, vous arriverez, ils/elles arriveront.

### What is the imperfect of arriver?

The imparfait of arriver is: j'arrivais, tu arrivais, il/elle arrivait, nous arrivions, vous arriviez, ils/elles arrivaient.

### What is the subjunctive of arriver?

The subjonctif présent of arriver is: que j'arrive, que tu arrives, qu'il/elle arrive, que nous arrivions, que vous arriviez, qu'ils/elles arrivent.

### What is arriver in the passé simple?

The passé simple is a literary tense you will read in narratives and biographies but rarely need to write. For arriver: j'arrivai, tu arrivas, il/elle arriva, nous arrivâmes, vous arrivâtes, ils/elles arrivèrent.

### What is the imperative of arriver?

The impératif of arriver has three forms: arrive, arrivons, arrivez (tu, nous and vous).

### What is the past participle of arriver?

The past participle of arriver is arrivé (feminine arrivée, plural arrivés, arrivées). Its present participle is arrivant.

## More French verbs

-   [donner](/french-conjugation/donner)
-   [parler](/french-conjugation/parler)
-   [aimer](/french-conjugation/aimer)
-   [passer](/french-conjugation/passer)
-   [trouver](/french-conjugation/trouver)
-   [penser](/french-conjugation/penser)
-   [rester](/french-conjugation/rester)
-   [appeler](/french-conjugation/appeler)

[All 64 verbs](/french-conjugation)

Conjugation tables are generated from the Lefff (Lexique des formes fléchies du français, Benoît Sagot, Inria), packaged as french-verbs-lefff@3.4.0 and distributed under the [LGPL-LR licence](https://www.labri.fr/perso/clement/lefff/licence-LGPLLR.html). Compound forms are built from its auxiliary and participle forms.

Next step

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