Come, Get, Arrive, Approach, Reach

Come, Get, Arrive, Approach, Reach – How to Use Them Correctly

English has many verbs for talking about movement, travel, and destinations. And that’s great… until you realise that words like come, get, arrive, approach, reach all seem to mean “to go somewhere” — but they don’t work in the same way.

That’s why learners often say things like:

❌ I arrived to the hotel.

❌ When I reached to the station…

❌ When we got to near the house…

In this lesson, you will finally learn the real difference between: come, get, arrive, approach and reach with clear explanations, natural examples, and common mistakes to avoid. This is especially useful for B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE), both in writing and speaking.

COME

Main idea: Come means: to move towards the speaker or the place where the speaker is.

Think: movement towards me / towards here.

• Can you come here for a moment?
• She’s coming to my house tonight.
• When did you come to this city?

Important contrast: come vs go

• Come = towards the speaker
• Go = away from the speaker

I’m coming to your place. (towards you)

I’m going to his place. (not towards you)

GET

Main idea: Get is informal and very common. It means: to arrive at a place or to reach a place. It focuses more on the result than on the journey.

Common structure

get to + place

• What time did you get to the airport?
• We got to the hotel very late.
• I got home at midnight. (no to with home)

Very important:

❌ get to home → ✅ get home

ARRIVE

Main idea: Arrive is more formal than get. It means: to reach a destination.

Structures

arrive in + city / country / big area

arrive at + building / place / point

• We arrived in Paris at noon.
• She arrived at the station too late.
• What time does the train arrive at Platform 3?

Common mistakes

❌ arrive to the hotel

✅ arrive at the hotel

APPROACH

Main idea: Approach means: to move closer to something or someone — but not to reach it yet. It focuses on the process of coming nearer, not the arrival.

• As we approached the city, the traffic became heavier.
• The plane was approaching the runway.
• She approached the man and asked for help.

Key difference

You approach a place → you get closer

You reach/arrive at a place → you are there

REACH

Main idea: Reach means: to arrive at a place after some effort or time. It emphasises success, difficulty, or the end point.

Very important grammar rule

reach + place (NO preposition!)

• We finally reached the top of the mountain.
• What time did you reach the office?
• I reached home exhausted.

Common mistakes

❌ reach to the station

❌ reach at the hotel

✅ reach the station

✅ reach the hotel

Most common mistakes

❌ We arrived to the airport. → ✅ arrived at the airport

❌ When we reached to the hotel… → ✅ reached the hotel

❌ We got to home late. → ✅ got home late

Mini practice

Choose the correct verb:

1. As we __________ the city, the weather got worse.
2. What time did you __________ at the airport?
3. We finally __________ the top after five hours.
4. Can you __________ here for a moment?
5. I __________ home at about eleven.

Answers: 1. approached, 2. arrive, 3. reached, 4. come, 5. got

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