French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "arriver" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce arriver in French?

arriver is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /a.ʁi.ve/. It means “to arrive / to happen.” ah-ree-VAY — three syllables, with a throat "r" in the middle and a silent one at the end.

ah-ree-VAY — three syllables, with a throat "r" in the middle and a silent one at the end.

arriver /a.ʁi.ve/

ar-ri-VER, with the lift on the third syllable. The two earlier syllables are light and even, which is what stops the word sounding like its English cousin.

Listen: arriver

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Sound it out

a A short open "ah", unstressed.

rr A single uvular "r" sound despite the doubled letter. Made at the back of the throat, with the tongue tip resting behind the lower teeth.

i A tense, pure "ee".

ver A "v" plus the -er infinitive ending, a closed "ay" with the final "r" silent.

Hear it in a sentence

Le train arrive à midi.

The train arrives at noon.

Listen: Le train arrive à midi.

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"Le train arrive à midi" has a liaison-free join between "arrive" and "à" — two vowels meet and French simply lets them sit side by side here. "Arrive" is /a.ʁiv/, with the final "e" silent but keeping the "v" alive. Note that "arriver" also means "to happen": "qu'est-ce qui est arrivé ?" means "what happened?"

Where English speakers slip

English "arrive" stresses the second syllable and gives it a long "eye" sound. French does neither: the "i" is a pure "ee" and the stress goes to the end. Learners also pronounce the final "r" out of habit, producing "a-ree-VAIR". And the middle "rr" gets an English tongue-curl — it should be the same throat rasp as every other French "r", just sitting between two vowels.