arriver at B1 — arriver à = to manage to
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With « à » plus an infinitive, arriving becomes succeeding.
Arriver à = to manage
Arriver à + infinitive means to manage to, to succeed in: « je n’arrive pas à ouvrir la porte » — I can’t manage to open the door. Learners usually reach for pouvoir here, which is not wrong but is much less idiomatic.
The negative is far more common than the positive. « Je n’y arrive pas » — I can’t do it, I’m not managing — is one of the most frequent expressions of frustration in French, and the y is obligatory.
💡 Focus at this level: arriver à — to manage to
👨🏫 How to use « arriver » at this level
1. « Je n’arrive pas à… » beats « je ne peux pas ». Far more natural.
2. « Je n’y arrive pas » stands alone. Keep the y.
3. Positive works too. « J’y suis arrivé ! » — I did it!
🎮 Practise « arriver »
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