Arrive at and arrive in are both phrases in English that mean to arrive at a certain place, and they can both be used to describe a change in the location or state of a person or thing, such as:
he arrived at the airport on time.He arrived at the airport on time.
she arrived in new york yesterday.She arrived in New York yesterday.
So, what's the difference between arrive at and arrive in? Are they interchangeable at will? This article will introduce you from the following aspects:
Definition and usage of arrive at and arrive in.
Differences and rules between arrive at and arrive in.
Example sentences and exercises for arrive at and arrive in.
Definition and usage of arrive at and arrive in.
The definitions of arrive at and arrive in are as follows:
arrive at: arrive at a specific place, such as a building, street, station, etc., followed by a noun or pronoun as an object.
arrive in: Arrive at a large geographical area, such as a city, country, state, island, etc., followed by a noun or pronoun as an object.
The usage of arrive at and arrive in is as follows:
Both arrive at and arrive in can be used to indicate arrival at a place, but their postposition objects differ in scope, generally speaking, arrive at is followed by a smaller location, while arrive in is followed by a larger region.
Both arrive at and arrive in can be used to indicate the arrival of a certain point in time, but their postposition objects are of different types, generally speaking, arrive at is followed by a specific moment, while arrive in is followed by a time period or season.
Differences and rules between arrive at and arrive in.
The main differences between arrive at and arrive in are as follows:
In terms of scope, arrive at emphasizes that the scope of reaching specific places is smaller, such as buildings, streets, etc.; Arrive in emphasizes a greater range of reach to a city or country.
In terms of time, arrive at emphasizes arriving at a specific point in time, such as lunch time, 7 p.m., etc.; Arrive in emphasizes reaching a certain time period or season, such as summer, next year, etc.
Contextually, arrive at is more commonly used to describe specific locations, such as stations, restaurants, etc.; Arrive in is more commonly used to describe a city or country, such as Paris, China, etc.
The main rules for arrive at and arrive in are as follows:
If you want to indicate arrival at a specific place, such as a building, street, etc., use arrive at.
If you want to indicate that you have arrived at a large geographical area, such as a city, country, etc., use arrive in.
If you want to indicate arrival at a specific moment, such as lunch time, 7 p.m., etc., use Arrive at.
If you want to indicate the arrival of a certain time period or season, such as summer, next year, etc., use arrive in.
If you want to indicate a front or back of arrival at a location, use arrive at.
If you want to indicate the inside or outside of a location, use arrive in.
Example sentences and exercises for arrive at and arrive in.
The example sentences of arrive at and arrive in are as follows:
we arrived at the hotel at 10 p.m.We arrived at the hotel at 10pm.
they arrived in london in the morning.They arrived in London in the morning.
she arrived at the front door of the house.She reached the front door of the house.
he arrived in the garden of the house.He arrived at the garden of the house.
they arrived at the station just in time.They arrived at the station just in time.
she arrived in france last week.She arrived in France last week.
The exercises for arrive at and arrive in are as follows:
Fill in the blank with arrive at or arrive in:
1. i will __beijing tomorrow.(Answer: arrive in).
2. he will __the airport at 8 a.m.(Answer: arrive at).
3. they will __the summer in two weeks.(Answer: arrive in).
4. she will __the library at noon.(Answer: arrive at).
5. we will __japan next month.(Answer: arrive in).
6. he will __the back of the building.(Answer: arrive at).