Ya llegué - Mexican Spanish

Ya llegué

Ya llegué = I'm here (in a text message, to say that you've arrived) Or: Honey, I'm home!

Remember that the verb llegar works not only for arrive — a somewhat formal verb in English — but also for get (somewhere), which is more conversational.

  • ¿A qué hora llegas? What time do you get here?
  • ¿A qué hora llegas? When do you get there?
  • Llegué temprano. I got here/there early.

Ya llegué

Ya llegué is a stock way to announce your unseen arrival. Already would be a poor translation for ya in this case. Instead, the idea is that you have just arrived; or that you have finally arrived.

  • Ya llegué I'm here. (This could be a text message indicating to the person expecting you that they should come out or let you in.)
  • Ya llegué. Honey, I'm home! (upon arrival)
  • ¿Ya llegaste?Are you here/there yet?
  • ¿Ya llegaste?Are you here/there yet?

Note that in these examples, llegar can translate be + place, if the idea of arrival is included. Also, simple past (¿Ya llegaste?) is favored over present perfect (¿Has llegado?).

Te llegó un paquete

People aren't the only things that can arrive. Te llegó un paquete. You have a package. A package (has) arrived for you. The indirect object te here identifies the recipient.

Here's another example with an indirect object pronoun: Me llega a la oreja. She comes up to my ear. In this example, the me has the idea of measured against me.

Llegué caminando

Llegar can be followed by an adjective expressing condition; or a present participle expressing manner.

  • Llegué cansado. I was exhausted when I got there.
  • Llegué despeinado al trabajo. My hair was a mess when I got to work.
  • Llegué caminando. I walked here.

¿A dónde quieres llegar?

Sometimes llegar is used for talking about a figurative destination.

  • Esto está llegando demasiado lejos. This is going too far. This situation is getting out of hand.
  • No, ni a eso llegaron. (Answering the question of whether they went all the way in bed)
  • Llegamos a cincuenta y dos puntos. We're up to 52 points.

In a conversation, you can use llegar to talk about the speaker's intentions. ¿A dónde quieres llegar? What are you getting at? Where are you going with this?

When followed by a verb, llegar a can indicate some kind of transformation. Llegarán a quererse con el tiempo. With time, you'll come to love each other.

Llega hasta

Llegar can combine with hasta to express the idea of as far as. Hasta aquí llega. This is the end of the line (bus route). This is as far as we go.

¡Llégale!

¡Llégale! is an aggressive way to say Get out! Beat it! ¡Vete! Fuera! As is often the case with such commands, the pronoun le doesn't contribute any meaning. Just think of it as part of the formula.

© 2003-2024 Mark R. Alexander